One Hell of a Trip
by Blithe Serendipity
Summary: When an American girl signs up for a foreign exchange program to Japan & is placed with the Higurashi family, she doesn't expect much. When she ends up being dragged into Feudal Era Japan & given a strange gift which changes her entirely, and makes a deal with a demon who confuses her to no end, she realizes she is in for one hell of a trip. (Possible M for future events/language)
1. Enter Sydney, Oblivious Exchange Student

**Hello, hello, and welcome to my new story!**

 **Please, please, please, review! It means the world to me, and motivates me to keep writing!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters, or any references made! I only own my OC's, and whatnot.**

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" **A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. " – Lao Tzu**

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 _Third Person Perspective_

A large cloud of dust flew up into the air, as a raging hanyou went crashing to the ground.

"SIT BOY!"

Kagome's left eye twitched as she leered down at the boy, who was now spouting insults and vulgar phrases at her. She rolled her eyes, climbing onto her bike.

"Kagome, where are you going now?" Shippo peeked out from behind Sango, fairly confident that her wrath would remain on Inuyasha for the time being.

"I have to get home! We're getting a foreign exchange student today, and I want to be there to meet her! I'll be back in a few days, though, don't worry. See you later!" Kagome waved at the group, before pedaling off in the direction of the Bone Eater's Well.

"Foreign… exchange?" Sango, Miroku, and Shippo looked at each other in simultaneous confusion, but were too late to question their friend, as she was already but a speck in the distance by the time they thought to do anything.

"If that wench thinks she's getting away with this, I swear-" Inuyasha began to protest, but was sharply cut off by a whack from Sango's hiraikotsu.

"Give it a rest, would you?"

* * *

 _Sydney's Perspective_

"Oh, my baby girl, all grown up! Do you really have to leave?"

I sighed, not looking forward to having to go through this process until my flight was ready to board. I eyed her with some pity, blue eyes striking against her dark brown ones, and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Mom, you know how great this opportunity is for me! Plus, I got a full scholarship. Trust me, the year will fly by. I'll be back, and you can start yelling at me again before you know it."

Where it had looked like tears would begin flowing any minute, my smart-ass comment garnered a much different response. A sharp glare sent me looking in the other direction, as my mother's mood swings came back with a vengeance.

"Honestly, at a time like this! I've got half a mind to not even let you go on this damn trip!" She spoke in a hushed tone, but the malice was there.

"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry. Very sorry. I should be more considerate. Sorry, mom. Forgive me?" My monotone, typical plea for forgiveness rolled off the tongue perfectly: I'd mastered it over the past several years.

As she began going on and on about how 'sorry doesn't cut it' and some other shit, I began thinking of other, more important matters.

My name is Sydney. I'm sixteen years old, and I'm originally from America: Maine, specifically, but I had been accepted and given a full scholarship for a foreign exchange student program in Japan for the next year.

Of course, I was excited for all of the normal reasons: getting to leave the country, enjoy life, meet new people, blah, blah, blah. But most of all, I was excited to get away from my mother.

She was your typical smother, sometimes, but was completely insane. She had the worst mood swings I'd ever seen, and was particularly abusive. Not always physically; emotional abuse was her specialty.

I tried calling her out on it a few times, but she never listened or cared. Her big thing was, "You're going to be successful, go to college for engineering, and yada-yada-yada."

It was tiring. One time I told her I didn't want to be an engineer, and that I wanted to drop out of this science academy at my school, and, long story short, she threatened to kill me.

Yeah. It's rough. But I'm used to it by now.

Anyways, getting to go and study in Japan was the most amazing opportunity: I was so happy, I thought it was a dream. That is, until I got to the airport, and my mother began her usual psycho-crazy antics.

Back to reality, anyhow.

"Sydney Victoria, are you listening? You ungrateful little bitch, look at me when I'm talking to you!"

I was staring out the window, looking for the plane that would be my savior, when a harsh slap came to my face, and I immediately looked down at my mother. (She was extraordinarily short, but vicious. Like a Chihuahua with rabies.)

I looked around to make sure no one saw that hideous display, and was about to say something I'd probably regret, when that beautiful announcement came across the airport speakers.

"Flight 2077, to Tokyo, Japan, is now ready for boarding. Zone 1, please line up and have your boarding passes ready."

I smiled so wide, my cheeks hurt. My bad mood disappeared, and I leaned down to kiss my mother on the cheek.

"Bye, mom! I'll call you! Sorry, got to run!" I said, practically running down the hall to my gate. I heard her say something, and eventually sob, but trust me, I was past that point. No pulling the guilt card this time.

As the attendant scanned my boarding pass, and I rushed onto the plane, shoved my carry on under the seat in front of me, and looked out the window, I had the best feeling. I just knew that my life was changing for the better.

And that's all I needed at this point.

About 17 hours into the flight from the New York Airport (JFK: LaGuardia is irritating. Just saying.), I pulled out the information on my host family.

I was staying with the Higurashi family: a mother, a grandfather, a son, and a daughter.

They seemed nice enough: I hadn't actually spoken to them yet, but they would certainly be better than my current living situation.

I did find it a bit comforting that there was no father in the family: I had a similar life. My mother never actually knew who my father was. I asked her about it several times, but she kept switching between two men who she thought could've been my dad.

I only met one of the two: apparently the other ran off as soon as he knew she was pregnant. A 'gypsy', or so my mother claimed.

I was so excited, but also exhausted: plane rides always put me to sleep. As I thought of the possibilities with my new family, I dozed off, ready to spend the rest of the journey to Japan with a blank mind, and a peaceful one.

The beeping sound of the seatbelt light flicking on was what awoke me, and trust me, it was a welcome sound.

I immediately turned and peered out the window, and audibly gasped at the sight.

Tokyo. It was absolutely gorgeous: the cities in America were cool and all, but nothing like this. I'd been used to the classics, like Boston, and Washington D.C.; Tokyo was an entirely different story.

I frantically grabbed for my carry on, and I'm pretty sure the passenger sitting beside me (a cranky old man, who kept glaring at me) was ready to slap me, I was getting so antsy to get off the plane.

Finally, we did, and I moved my little legs as fast as I could go. I grabbed my suitcase from baggage claim, and headed for the exit. My host family was supposed to meet me there, with a sign of my name.

McDonald. Just one of the guys my mom thought was my dad: the one she felt most confident about. Also, funny enough, the one who ditched her. Ah, yes, a proud legacy.

I scanned the crowd of people, searching desperately for my name, and as soon as I saw it, I pushed four people out of the way and ran over some guy's toe to get there.

"Hi, hello! Mrs. Higurashi? I'm Sydney! McDonald, that is. It's so nice to finally meet you!" I sputtered out, too excited to speak eloquently, and went to reach out for a handshake, before realizing my manners.

I stuck my leg out to hold my suitcase (which had a nasty habit of falling over), and bowed deeply.

I heard a small giggle, and looked up.

The older woman, who I assumed was Mrs. Higurashi, was a small woman with a youthful face, and a lovely smile.

"Hello, Sydney! It's great to meet you, as well! Welcome to the family! This is Grandpa, Sota, and Kagome!" She introduced me to each member of the family, and my grin spread even wider.

You might not understand my excitement, but let me express it to you this way: imagine that you'd been staring at a concrete floor for the past thirteen years, but all of a sudden, it was transformed to a lush, green landscape, with flowers, and bunnies, and hell, everything else good in this world.

It was like that.

See, my mom hadn't always been crazy. She became that way when my brother passed away. He was turning twenty that year, but got into a motorcycle accident, and we lost him. He was the most important person to both of us, and when she lost him, she started treating me badly. It hurt awfully bad at first, but gradually, I just got used to it.

Imagine my surprise, when finally, I didn't have to take it anymore. For a whole year, I could be happy. I could live!

It was amazing.

Anyways, back to the story.

"I'm sure you and Kagome will get along great. Come on, let's get you home!" Mrs. Higurashi smiled at me, and began leading us out of the airport. I immediately began walking with Kagome; she was very welcoming, her entire being was so friendly!

Her eyes stood out to me especially: they were like a rich cup of cocoa. Warm and inviting, and such a pretty brown!

On the trip home, I got to talking with Kagome and Sota about themselves, and they asked about my life, and we learned quite a bit about each other in that car ride.

Sota was in the third grade, and Kagome was only 15. She was so adorable though, that she seemed younger. See, I was short for my age, but most people thought I was older, simply because of my interests and my attitude, and what-not.

When we arrived at the Higurashi household, I was in awe. It was gorgeous!

"Kagome, your house is absolutely lovely!" I said, unable to stop smiling.

"Oh, if you think this is nice, just wait!" She replied, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the halls.

"Sota, take Sydney's stuff upstairs, okay? We'll be back!" She yelled, hurting my ears a bit, and was met with an unenthusiastic groan. I chuckled slightly.

Kagome threw open the back doors of the house, and I was once again speechless.

A SHRINE. An authentic, Japanese shrine! It was huge, and so amazing to look at. And back behind it, one of the biggest trees I'd ever seen.

I stepped forward slowly, spinning to take it everything.

I could hear Kagome laughing at my reaction, but I didn't even care at that point.

After spinning for a good few minutes, I fell to the ground, and just laid there.

Eventually, Kagome came to sit next to me.

"So, you like it? Gramps would be all TOO willing to explain the history to you. Around here, everything's got a story." She said, snickering.

I sat up, and nodded excitedly.

"I love history. You're looking at the Maine State History Day champion for the past three years, missy." I held my head high.

She looked at me oddly, before I burst into laughter.

"You'll learn soon enough: my ego is bigger than you could ever imagine." I said, standing up and holding out a hand for Kagome. She took it, and smiled back at me.

"Well, that's just fine. I can respect it! Anyways, let's get you unpacked. We'll be sharing a room: that okay with you?" She said, leading me back through the house and upstairs.

"Totally! You know, I've always wanted a sister, and I think this will be awesome."

I grabbed my suitcase from the hall, and followed Kagome into what appeared to be her bedroom.

"Me too! All I've got is my brother, and he's quite a handful. Do you have any siblings back home?" Kagome asked.

My grin fell a bit.

"Ah, well, yeah, I used to. Not anymore." I said, beginning to unpack my belongings. I heard Kagome's breath stop for a moment, and I could practically hear her scolding herself in her head.

"Don't worry about it though! I'm good. It's fine." I said, laughing it off.

"So, where can I put my clothes?"

Kagome immediately began giving me a 'tour' of her room, and I knew I was in for a hell of a year.

I collapsed upon what was now my bed, finally done unpacking, and absolutely exhausted.

"So, what made you guys want to get a foreign exchange student?" I asked, curious, and desperate for conversation. Kagome turned to me, and thought for a moment.

"I'm not really sure. I guess we were just ready for a change! Plus, it seemed like an awesome idea. I know Mom had been looking into it for a while. But what about you? What made you want to come to Japan?"

Though I should have been expecting a question of that likeness, I paused. At this point, it was either, depress my new family member by describing my home situation, or lie through my teeth.

"Oh, I just really enjoy traveling! I thought it'd be a great learning experience."

So, I found a middle-ground.

"That's cool. Anyways, tomorrow we can go shopping, and you can check out Tokyo! I'm pretty used to it, but it's a great place. I'm sure you'll love it!" Kagome smiled at me, and it was infectious.

Honestly, this girl was one of the perkiest people I'd ever met. She was so energetic, and always seemed to be smiling.

Lost in thought, I didn't realize how silent it got. Then, an idea hit me!

"Yeah. Hey, Kagome, you don't play piano, do you?"

Kagome blanked for a moment, but shook her head.

"No, ahah, I'm awful with musical instruments. Why do you ask?"

I pursed my lips, my idea becoming less realistic.

"See, I'm a theatre dork. I love it. My friend wrote a musical back home, and I've been practicing the songs, but I can only sing them. I can't play an instrument, either, and I could really use an accompianist. Do you sing?"

"Ah, well, sort of? Kinda? … Not really. I'd be willing to try, anyway."

I thought about it for a moment, and it seemed good enough.

"Learning to sing is fairly simple: the will to try is all you need! That's one thing we can do together. So, what do you do in your free time?"

I saw Kagome pause for a moment, looking like she was struggling to think of something to say, and was a bit confused.

"Ah, well, I'm a history buff, you know. And, uh, I like to travel, and… I've been practicing archery!" She said, seeming happy with her answer.

I raised an eyebrow, but accepted it as well.

"Archery, huh? I love archery! I'm also learning how to use my mom's handguns, because, you know, America, with its gun rights and what not. Do you have a bow and everything?" I asked, standing up and looking outside.

Late afternoon: still enough daylight to do things, and live life. That's all I needed.

"Well, uh, yeah. Do you shoot?" Kagome asked, surprised at my reply.

"Only in summer camp, but yeah, I was pretty good. I'd love to get back into it. You want to go outside and practice?" I said, grinning wildly, and inching closer to her.

"Please? PLEASE?" Eventually I was invading her personal space, and shook her wildly.

She laughed, but gingerly pushed me off of her.

"Yeah, I guess that'd be fine. Let's head out to the shrine, and we can practice on the trees." She agreed, opening her door and walking outside.

I jumped in triumph, and followed after her.

When we reached the shrine, she pulled out a longbow and a quiver full of arrows from the wall, and handed them over to me.

"Now, be careful! I need that- er, it'd be really expensive and hard to get a new one!" She said, stumbling over her words.

Normally, I'd be a little suspicious, but I was a little busy admiring the bow.

"Wow, this is nice. Don't worry, I'll be careful!" I scurried off to a good distance between myself and one of the trees, and loaded the bow.

I could've sworn I heard her mumbling something about how I was supposed to be the older, mature one here, but elected to ignore it.

I held the bow up, and drew back an arrow, trying to recall some muscle memory from the sixth grade which I prayed was still there.

As I let the arrow fly, and it barely hit the side of the tree, I sighed a bit.

I heard Kagome chuckle slightly, and shot her a quick glare, before focusing again.

"I DID say I hadn't done this for years, remember. Give me a bit! Practice makes perfect, you know." I said, loading another arrow.

I stared at one dark spot on the tree, and took a deep breath; as I let the breath out, so went the arrow.

As soon as I let it fly, I closed my eyes, praying to whoever was listening that I wouldn't make a total fool of myself.

I heard a reassuring sound of the arrow hitting wood, and when I opened my eyes, I jumped for joy.

A near perfect shot!

"Huh! Nicely done, Sydney!" Kagome lightly applauded, obviously not super impressed, but at least somewhat pleased.

"Maybe you're not entirely hopeless!" She said, and I immediately flicked her on the forehead.

"Hey, for the first time doing this in a while, I think I'm doing great. I doubt you did any better your first time shooting!" I pouted, but Kagome didn't notice; she looked to be lost in some memory, with a little smirk on her face.

"Oi, earth to Kagome. I'm sassing you here, and you're not even paying attention!" I clapped, just a few inches from her face, and she jumped back, letting loose a high-pitched squeal.

"Not necessary! And for your information, I'm quite the archer. Let me show you how it's done!" Kagome grabbed the bow and arrows from me, and I crossed my arms, interested to see just how good (or not so good) she would be.

I tried wracking my brain for any knowledge of how often archery was used in Japan, but couldn't find anything of note.

Kagome notched her arrow, and aimed for the largest tree.

I hadn't expected her to get so into it, truthfully. Her entire body seemed perfectly synchronized, and there was a tension that hadn't been there previously. As she released the arrow, I was shocked to see it fly with a pink glow, and hit the dead center of the tree.

Kagome smiled proudly at her shot, but her smile fell within a moment; I was a bit more concerned with the arrow itself.

I ran over to it, pulling it from its resting place on the tree, and began to inspect it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell was that? Why did it… glow? I mean, nice shot and all, but what is this, some sort of toy?" I asked, eyeing the object which now seemed a hundred percent more foreign to me.

Kagome immediately stiffened, and looked to be struggling to find a response. Eventually, she just started giggling a bit.

"Ah, what are you talking about? I think you might be seeing things; maybe we should head inside now? Ooh, I know, let's take a look at your uniform! My mom got it for you earlier! Come on, let's go!" She ran inside, leaving me, confused, with an arrow.

I sighed, placing it back into the quiver, and as I followed her inside, I made a mental note to ask her about it another time, when she had no escape.

When I got to our bedroom, I was met with Kagome's huge grin, and a green and white school uniform.

"Huh. I've never had a school uniform before. It's kind of cute!" I took the clothes from her, examining them. They were nice! I especially liked the red bow on the shirt.

"I'm glad you like it; I'm sure you'll get used to it in no time. You can go change in the bathroom, if you want!" Kagome suggested, and I nodded, heading off to change.

I mostly liked the uniform, although the skirt was a bit short.

I was used to short skirts (doing cheering gets you into that, I suppose), but they were always tight! The looseness unnerved me, so I put some black spandex on underneath.

Eh, it's a comfort item. Trust me on that.

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I felt rather pleased.

I'd never been a fan of uniforms, but this one worked quite well!

As I was admiring myself, I was interrupted by a shout, and a loud thud.

I threw the door open, and ran into Kagome's room.

"Kagome, what's wrong- what the HELL is that?" I screamed, upon seeing a huge mess of red fabric and silver hair on the ground, growling.

"Who are you calling a WHAT?" The strange thing angrily mumbled, pulling itself up.

It was a boy. A boy, with long, silver hair, and- dog ears?!

I stared blankly for a bit, trying to process what I was seeing.

"Ah- uh, um. Kagome. You have got a lot of explaining to do." I eventually said, sitting on the floor and holding my head in my hands.

This was certainly going to be a hell of a year.

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 **Thank you guys so much for reading! Once again, please review, and I hope you enjoyed!**


	2. An Unexpected Gift

**Hello, hello, and welcome to chapter two!**

 **Please, please, please, review! It means the world to me, and motivates me to keep writing! I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters, or any references made! I only own my OC's, and whatnot. (Sydney and Michiko, at this moment.)**

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 _I threw the door open, and ran into Kagome's room._

" _Kagome, what's wrong- what the HELL is that?" I screamed, upon seeing a huge mess of red fabric and silver hair on the ground, growling._

" _Who are you calling a WHAT?" The strange thing angrily mumbled, pulling itself up._

 _It was a boy. A boy, with long, silver hair, and- dog ears?!_

 _I stared blankly for a bit, trying to process what I was seeing._

" _Ah- uh, um. Kagome. You have got a lot of explaining to do." I eventually said, sitting on the floor and holding my head in my hands._

 _This was certainly going to be a hell of a year._

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 _Sydney's Perspective_

Everything was extremely awkward for a moment, with the boy-er, dog? DOG BOY, or whatever the hell he was, staring angrily at me, with his hand on Kagome's arm, Kagome staring, petrified, at me, and myself, being confused and irritated and just freaked out.

Great.

It wore off relatively quickly, though.

"Alright, enough, we don't have time for this! You're comin' with me, now let's go!" The boy began pulling Kagome along, towards the door.

"Oh, no you don't!" I jumped for him, and latched on to his arm, creating a string of the three of us, which probably looked quite comical.

"I'll... I'll bite you!" I said, my voice cracking slightly. I most likely wouldn't, but hey, someone tries to kidnap your friend, what are you going to do?

Kagome gasped, shocked that I'd say something. Little did she know, I was shocked too.

Bluffing works, right?

"Give it a rest! We're out of here!" He scoffed, before shoving me off of him, turning and running out the door, throwing Kagome onto his back. As they ran off, however, something fell out of Kagome's bag.

Before I went to follow, I picked it up: a pink sliver of a jewel. It had an eerie glow to it, and I did not like the feeling. I went to put it in my pocket, but cursed skirts again: NO DAMN POCKETS.

Being a modern woman, I took the next best alternative: I put it in my bra, and booked it. I made sure it was secure, and picked up the pace.

I could hear the door slam as I ran, and I saw them head out the back entrance. By the time I got outside, though, no one was there. I noticed the shrine door was open, however, and approached it cautiously.

"Kagome? Kagome, I'm here! If that creep's got you hostage, I'll save you! Make a noise!" I said, searching around the shrine.

Nothing. The only place left was the well, and hell if I was going in there.

Obviously, fate had a different plan in mind. I felt a strange sensation, and I pulled out the jewel shard. It was… pulsing?

I took a step closer to the well, and it got even stronger. I took a big gulp, and put the shard away again. I peered down into the darkness, and my bad feeling got even worse.

But I'm nothing if not open-minded, and so I swung my legs over, and jumped in. Why not, eh?

As I was falling, I realized precisely why that was a bad idea: the well around me faded away and it seemed like I was floating through space.

It continued for a few moments, before the well returned and I fell to my knees at the bottom of it.

"Okay, Sydney. Maybe the lack of sleep is getting to you…" I said to myself, in an attempt to calm myself down.

I looked up, and stared.

Trees. Trees? I had come in through a shrine, which did, in fact, have a roof. Yes? Right. Buildings have roofs. That is definitely a thing that happens.

I grabbed a vine that was hanging, and tried climbing up the well wall.

Of course, when I'd jumped in, I hadn't exactly considered getting out.

I managed to get to the top, gaining some scratches on my hands and legs along the way, and pulled myself up onto the side of the well, but when I did, my heart seemed to skip a beat.

It was all trees. Though the well seemed to be in a clearing, it was surrounded by a beautiful forest.

The sky was clear, blue, not a cloud in the sky. The air smelled strangely fresh and clean.

I sat there, on the side of the well, for a bit, trying to make sense of it all.

"What happened to the Shrine? What happened to Kagome? What happened to TOKYO?!" I said, putting my hands to my head in exasperation.

Eventually, I just got very fed up with sitting there, doing nothing, so, I decided to make a strong choice. I suddenly heard the voice of my old director in my mind, and could almost see her high-strung, crazy eyes staring at me.

 _Always make a strong choice! Even if it's the wrong choice, make it a strong choice!_

Shaking aside my momentary flashback, I remembered my current situation.

"KAGOME! Kagome, where are you?!" I began yelling, walking in circles around the well.

No response. After a good several minutes, my voice became hoarse and started to crack, and I sat down on the ground, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Okay, Sydney. You're lost and extremely confused. They say, that when you're lost, you should stay in one place and wait for someone to find you. Somehow, that doesn't seem like a strong enough choice... Not a chance. Hmm…" I began talking to myself again, which was somewhat calming, before standing up again.

"Might as well take the initiative and look for Kagome myself." I began walking towards the forest, which became increasingly nerve-wracking as I went closer.

I continued walking, going deeper into the forest, and the bad feeling in my gut returned with a vengeance. It was this feeling that led me to stop at one tree, and break off a sizeable stick. As I eyed the thing, I sighed.

 _Better than nothing. Damn, what I wouldn't give for a gun right now. I miss America._

I walked for a long while, hell, I don't even know how long it was. Half an hour? An hour?

I stopped to rest after a while, sitting under a tree. I sighed, tired, and growing more hopeless by the minute.

I pulled out the jewel shard, and examined it.

It still gave me an uneasy feeling, but seemed less… eerie now. Perhaps it was that I'd gotten used to its presence. It was somewhat beautiful, but I couldn't help but wonder what the full jewel had looked like. Also, why did Kagome have it? I mentally noted to return it to her immediately upon finding her again.

"If I ever find her again…" I grumbled, kicking a rock away from me.

I took a deep breath, and pushed away the negative thoughts, at least for a little bit.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to just relax and maybe get a bit of rest.

A large bout of yelling pulled me from my rest, and I jumped up, searching frantically for the source.

"Voices… people! They can tell me where I am!" I said, my energy renewed by the thought of some progress.

Hearing the voices again, I got a general idea of where the sound was coming from, and ran towards it.

Getting closer, I could see a group of men standing around a tree, and slowed down a bit.

I could barely see it, but they were surrounding a woman, who was sitting underneath the tree.

I stopped, questioning whether or not these men would be helpful.

"You stupid bitch! Give it up!"

Okay, maybe less than helpful.

One of the men shouted at her, moving closer. When he moved, I could get a much better view of the woman, and I gasped audibly.

Luckily, they weren't paying attention to me, as I wasn't exactly subtle.

But she was absolutely gorgeous! She had some of the longest, flowing silver hair I'd ever seen, tied back into a high pony-tail, and though her eyes were closed, her face had three golden-orange marks on either cheek, with that same color streaking along her eyelids. Her ears were pointed, and she had a slight smirk on her perfectly angled face. I had never seen someone like her, and goodness, I was glad I had. She seemed unnaturally beautiful.

She was wearing an elaborate purple, green and white kimono, with a floral print, and had a strange, white orb hanging around her neck.

"Hand it over, or you die today!" Another man shouted at her, and I looked to them. They were obviously rather wealthy, but seemed to be wearing some sort of antique battle armor. They resembled warriors, in some ways, and all held swords.

The man who'd just spoken took a step towards the woman, and her eyes flew open. I bit back another gasp: they were pure gold! She gave the men a cruel smile, and glared at the one who came closer.

"You dare touch me, and I'll rip your heart out through your throat."

She seemed a little less beautiful, but you know what, I admired her strong personality.

The man laughed, but didn't go closer.

"You pathetic wench: you think you can harm us? We outnumber you, and have more power than you can imagine! You're nothing more than a wounded guardian, whose time of power has long passed. Now, hand the stone over to us, else we will kill you." The man, seeming to be the leader of the group, demanded.

The woman went silent for a moment, before bursting into laughter, a melodious sound that sounded more like music than a human sound.

The men, however, did not find it so, and got rather angry.

"You fools think yourselves to be strong? You are miserable creatures who live out your measly human existence in greed, jealousy, and conflict. You have no idea of power." She scoffed, turning her head away from them and closing her eyes.

The leader lost his temper, then, and pulled his sword, and went to attack her.

BANG.

He fell to the ground, now unconscious, as my stick became wonderfully acquainted with the side of his head. As he dropped to the ground, the other members of his party turned their less-than-friendly gazes towards me.

"Did… did I really just do that?" I asked myself. The man laying on the ground assured me that yes, I definitely did that.

"How dare you attacj our leader?!" They began shouting and screaming at me, and I backed away, raising the stick so that I held it like they held their swords.

"One step closer and I'll beat you too!" I said, feigning courage. They began running at me, and I began a lovely game of tag, beginning to run around, struggling to avoid the men and keep from falling. As one got close, I managed to knock him over the head, and one more, I kicked in the gut (okay, actually the groin), and he fell, groaning in pain.

Although I felt confident with most of them, two got too close for comfort. One knocked my stick from my hands, and the other tackled me to the ground.

He, having lost his sword in the conflict, put his hands around my neck, and began choking me.

I coughed, trying to pull his hands off, but was getting nowhere. I began feeling lightheaded, and tried desperately to breathe, but couldn't. I tried everything, using my knees, my arms, shaking severely, as coughed and sputtered.

He was saying something to me, but I couldn't hear anything. I doubt it was friendly banter, either, and I was a bit more focused on trying to grasp onto whatever oxygen could make its way into my lungs. My vision, too, began to blur, and I felt tears coming from my eyes.

 _Is this where I die?_ I thought to myself, my hands falling from the man's wrists and landing limply at my sides.

Suddenly, the hands were gone; I took a huge breath, and the man had released me. I did not know why, until I saw the sword through his chest, and felt the blood dripping onto my skin. Then, several vines snatched him, and threw him into a nearby tree, his body falling limp and crumbling to the grass below.

In shock, I could only stare ahead, and saw the beautiful woman standing before me, leering curiously down at me.

Then, she held out a hand to me. I looked blankly at her hand, which had rather long claws, before weakly grasping it. She pulled me up in one swift motion, before heading back to the tree she was at, and sitting down again.

"I admire your valor, girl. As a mere human, it was rather impressive that you came to my aid, whether or not I truly needed it. Though I question your weapon and clothing, it is clear that your heart is pure. I thank you." She said, her voice smooth and silky, and her eyes boring into mine, before she closed them.

"I-uh, you're welcome? If you don't mind me asking, why were those men after you?" I asked, trying to open the door towards asking more important questions, such as where I was, and who she was, etcetera, etcetera, but not being stupid enough to act rudely towards the woman who had just turned the men attacking me into human shish-kabobs.

"They wished to steal something of mine. They were cowards. They thought to attack me while I was resting from a battle, and thought they would have an easy time of taking what is mine. However, I am already healed. I feel as though the death you offered them was far more merciful than any I would give. At least they had lost consciousness before they died. I was growing increasingly irritated." She said simply, crossing her legs and leaning further back.

I had so many questions, I had to carefully consider which I wanted to ask next.

"Child, where did you come from? Why are you dressed in such away?" I was beaten to the punch, as the woman asked me her own question, opening her eyes and staring at me with mild interest.

"Ah, well, it's a long story. Honestly, I don't even know where I am. My friend and I were at home, and I left for a moment, and when I returned, she was being carried off by some boy with long silver hair and dog ears, in a red cloak-type thing. I followed her to a shrine, and jumped into a well, and when I climbed out, I was here! Well, I guess it's not that long of a story, but it's still very odd. In summary, I'm lost and have no idea what's going on." I explained, exhaling and sitting down in front of the woman. She quirked a brow at me, and looked at me strangely.

"Though you are correct, and your tale is rather odd, you tell the truth. I believe I know the boy you speak of: he is a half-demon, who travels in search of the sacred shards of the Shikon no Tama, with a human girl who dresses strangely, likely similar to yourself. Though I have not seen them, they have made quite a name for themselves." She replied, a smile spreading across her face.

I thought for a moment: they are travelling together? She knows him? They did seem rather familiar before. In actuality, I was the only one freaking out. Yikes.

"I have to find them, then... But, miss, if you don't mind answering one more question. Where am I?" I asked.

"You are in Japan, in what many call the warring states era. It is clear now, you are not from this time at all. Yet, you intend to go in search of your friend?" The woman questioned, tilting her head at me.

I nodded.

"It's my only valid option, really. If what you say is true, then I'm not even in my own time period, and I have no idea how to get home. I could either die in these woods, or at least try and make my way back." I explained, looking around at the vast forest surrounding us.

Yeah, definitely no idea.

"Hm." The woman sat for a moment, simply gazing at me, analyzing me, and it seemed like every question in the world was going through her head, yet she remained perfectly calm. The only way I had any idea what she was thinking, was through her incredibly expressive eyes.

"Do you want to live?" She asked, throwing me for a loop.

I looked at her incredulously, confused. Was she going to kill me?

"Well, yes, of course! I've barely lived, I'm only seventeen! I couldn't stand to die now, I've got so much more to achieve…" I said, considering it for a moment. It frightened me.

The woman smiled at my answer, further scrambling my thoughts. What was she trying to do?

She stood up, and walked towards me. I stood as well.

"I wish to offer you a gift, girl. It will allow you to live. You are a human, lost, alone, and weak. You will die soon, on your own, even with that silly toy you possess. You carry a sacred jewel shard: many will seek it out, intent on leaving you dead in their path to glory. You are a lovely girl, clearly not of this place, and many men would take you and abuse you. With what I offer, you will be able to handle yourself, and achieve whatever you would wish." She said.

As she spoke, I realized the truth in all of her words, and the gravity of my situation. It was even more frightening. She took the necklace off of her neck, and held the strange thing out to me. It was what looked to be a pearly orb, but as I looked to it, colors swirled inside of it, merging and separating, and it truly looked to be alive.

I stared at it, even more puzzled than before.

"What is that? Why… why are you giving it to me? What's in it for you?" I asked, skeptical, furrowing my brows at her.

She chuckled a bit.

"It is a stone, a gem, really. I offer this to you, because I want you to live. I will most likely ask you for a favor in the future, but for now, this will give you the power to keep yourself alive, and protect your friend. You wish to keep her safe, yes?" She repeated, more intensely this time.

"…Yes." I answered quietly, considering her proposition. Something told me to trust her. After all, if she truly had wanted to kill me, she would have. She put a sword through a man's heart, and had some freaky magic thing going on, and now I'm questioning if she's trying to harm me? Truly, if she wanted me dead, I would not have been standing there.

"Yes, or no. I will not offer this gift to you more than once, child, so be swift." She pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked the gem in her hand.

"...I accept. Thank you." I smiled at her, reaching out to take the gem from her.

"A good choice. Now, try to remain calm, and avoid moving." She warned, as I took the stone into my hands.

Before I could ask what she meant, I blinked, and was standing a strange, open plain. I looked around, alarmed at having once again been transported to some strange, ethereal world today. Hearing someone behind me, I turned, and gasped at the sight of a huge white dog, several times my size.

It stared at me, huge red eyes with gold pupils leering into mine, and had long, flowing white hair, with gold markings surrounding its mouth, and huge, floppy white ears. A long strip of fur ran over its back, and over its shoulder. It stood several feet away, and we remained there, silent, for a moment, in a sort of staring contest between blue and red.

It began walking towards me, and eventually broke into a full run, and I tried to move myself, but could not bring my body to run. Somehow, I was paralyzed, and could only stare.

I thought I would be afraid, but I felt calm. It was strange. Everything in me said to run, to scream, something, but my body did not agree, and simply stood, calm, and peaceful. The beast ran at me, and when it looked like it would collide with my body and knock me to the ground, it instead seemed to disappear into me. It was gone, and I felt a strange sensation, as if I was not the only one in my body.

I stood there, stunned, and having regained my movement, I collapsed, breathing heavily, my hand on my chest, grasping onto the fabric desperately.

Then, my entire body started burning, beginning with my chest, and the pain spreading into my entire body, almost like the heat when you drink something hot, except so much more intense.

I began screaming; it was the worst pain I had ever experienced!

I felt like my body was on fire, burning from the inside out. I continued screaming, but under my own screams, I could hear the woman saying things to me, but I ignored her. I was a bit pre-occupied with whatever had just happened, and the unbearable agony that wracked my entire self.

After a bit, I just closed my eyes, and didn't have it in me to scream anymore, so I curled up into a ball, and just tried to bear it, my breaths ragged and unsteady. At this point, I could feel the woman's hand on my back, patting me.

"Shh, child. It will subside soon. Just breathe." She cooed, and though I wanted, truly wanted to be angry with her at whatever she'd done to me, I couldn't be that way. Something in me wouldn't allow it.

I did as she said, and eventually, the pain faded into a dull ache, which persisted in my very bones.

I opened my eyes slowly, and saw that I was back in the forest. I put out my hands to push myself up, and saw that I had… claws?

"Wha-?! What are these?!" I cried out, flexing my hands, and seeing strange orange markings on my wrists.

"What did you do to me!? I don't even know your name!" I asked, looking frantically to the woman, who was now walking away from me.

She ignored my question and continued walking, her back to me.

She paused for a moment, however, and turned to face me. I was shocked to see that her appearance had changed: her hair now had brown streaks, and her markings on her face had disappeared. Her eyes, too, had changed: she had one gold, as it was before, but her right eye had turned blue.

"You accepted my gift. Trust me, girl: you will thank me. The pain is simply due to the transition. Good luck, now. I will be sure to let you know about that favor some time. I'll be seeing you. Oh, yes. My name is Michiko. " She smiled at me, before walking off, and disappearing.

I stared after her for a long while, just considering her words, and trying to ignore the dull ache that remained.

Everything seemed different somehow. I could smell several things, but had no idea what they were; nothing seemed familiar. I could hear the birds, and other animals, but couldn't see any of them.

"What is going on?!" I screamed in frustration, falling onto my back and pulling on my hair.

I just wanted to go back to my own time, and take a nap, and not be in the middle of nowhere, and just be HAPPY. Hell, even to hear my mother's voice would be reassuring.

Was that too much to ask?

I stood up, and decided to follow the woman. I looked around, trying to figure out where she had gone to, and picked a direction, deciding to go that way.

I walked, and as I did, I could hear water. A river!

I began running, and eventually found the river I'd been seeking.

This river was a very good thing, for several reasons: firstly, water leads to civilization, and secondly, I felt dirty, and was covered in blood. I knelt down next to the water, and put my hands in. It was cool and refreshing, and I leaned over the water to pick up some and splash my face.

When I saw myself, however, I shrieked, and the water fell from my hands. I put my hands to my face, and my mouth fell open.

My eyes were different. My eyes had changed! My right eye, it was gold!

I had a single orange-gold streak on each cheek, and a light blue, tear-shaped mark on my forehead, and my hair had silver streaks all through it, as if it were turning silver. It seemed longer, too, and I touched it, further ensuring my breakdown.

I opened my mouth, and sure enough, I had elongated canines. My claws, I had noticed, but I hadn't realized it was more than that! I CAN FILE MY NAILS DOWN!

"What… what am I…" I whispered, staggered back, away from the water.

That's when the tears started: I started crying like mad, and sobbing rather loudly. Can you blame me? I wasn't typically one for tears, but this was unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

"Ho-how am I going to go home like this? I look like an absolute freak!" I cried, my breathing ragged and my tears continuing to fall.

I sat, crying, until the sun began to set. I looked up into the sky, and was even more upset, as I realized that I had spent so much time in this strange time, and strange world.

"Well, well, wha-what do we have here, boys? A cute little wench! Aahaha-haha!" A man slurred, and I looked up, to see a small group of men stumbling through the trees.

"I bets we could have- *hic* some fun with this one." Another one said, over the other's laughter.

They were completely hammered.

"Look at that clothing, ahaha, she's practically begging for it!"

They came slowly closer, barely able to walk in their drunken stupor, and I began to stand.

"Don't you come near me…" I warned, reaching for my stick, but realizing it was left back at the clearing.

"Haha-*hic*, she thinks she's tough! Don't you worry, pretty little thing, we-we'll take good care o' you!" The laughing man came closer, and went to grab me.

"No!" I cried out, holding out a hand to stop him. A strange green glow came from my claws, and he was hit with a blast of what looked to be poison, and fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

I looked at my hand, and the poison it was emitting, and as another man angrily ran towards me, I waved my arm, trying to get him away, without killing him or harming him.

I already had too much blood on my hands…

As I waved my hands in panic, several vines came out and restrained the man, pulling him to a tree and keeping him there. The other men went to attack me, but I waved my arm again, and this time, water from the river threw them backwards, onto their asses.

At this point, my mouth was agape, and the other men ran off.

"A demon! A demon! Beware!"

"She's mad! She's going to kill us all!"

"Someone HELP US!"

They shouted for help as they ran away, and I considered their words for a moment.

"A demon? Is that what I am?" I whispered. I remembered Michiko mentioning that the boy who'd run off with Kagome was a half-demon.

Obviously demons were commonplace here, then?

Hearing the men continue to scream, I began running in the opposite direction that they had, until I felt as though I was at an acceptable distance.

I noticed that I was still, in fact, in the forest, and sighed in exasperation.

"How big is this stupid place?" I groaned, sitting down under a tree again.

I looked at my hands, which now looked as harmless as ever (minus the claws).

"Did I really just do that?" I asked myself.

The poison… the water…. the vines? Was that me?

I tugged on my hair, and let my tongue run over my now pointed teeth.

Was this the 'gift' that Michiko had promised? A whole new species? How did she do it, anyhow?

I was beginning to wonder if saying yes was a good idea, whether it saved my life or not.

My eyes watered up, and I started crying once more, this time silently. I curled up at the base of the tree, and closed my eyes, hoping that my luck would improve if I got a little bit of rest.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed, and please remember to review and let me know what you think! It really motivates me to keep writing!**


	3. Sydney and Kagome, Reunited!

**Hello, hello, and welcome to chapter three!**

 **I'm really loving the feedback I've gotten so far, so please continue to review and tell me what you guys think, as it keeps me motivated!**

 **Just so that you all know, most of the story will be told in third person, but I kept the first few in Sydney's as a test run: this will be a chapter told entirely in third person, as most of the others will be, now that all of the characters have come together! Let me know what you think of this, though: I will be doing some chapters and sections in Sydney's perspective or another characters, but it will be rare.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters, or any references made! I only own my OC's, and whatnot.**

* * *

 _I noticed that I was still, in fact, in the forest, and sighed in exasperation._

" _How big is this stupid place?" I groaned, sitting down under a tree again._

 _I looked at my hands, which now looked as harmless as ever (minus the claws)._

" _Did I really just do that?" I asked myself._

 _The poison… the water…. the vines? Was that me?_

 _I tugged on my hair, and let my tongue run over my now pointed teeth._

 _Was this the 'gift' that Michiko had promised?_

 _I was beginning to wonder if saying yes was a good idea, whether it saved my life or not._

 _My eyes watered up, and I started crying once more. I curled up at the base of the tree, and closed my eyes, hoping that my luck would improve if I got a little bit of rest._

* * *

 _Third Person Perspective_

As Inuyasha sprinted through the trees, Kagome struggled to hold on. She was extremely troubled.

After he had snatched her from the future, he'd explained the predicament.

Naraku had sent two bat demon assassins after the group, loaded with jewel shards, and intent on killing each and every one of them. Inuyasha realized that he couldn't defeat them without taking some of their shards away, and Kagome was the only one who could find them.

Kagome understood the need for her, but was worried about Sydney.

"God, I hope she didn't try to follow us… but, she couldn't get through the well anyway." Kagome mumbled.

"Hey, snap out of it. We're coming up fast." Inuyasha barked, speeding up.

Kagome could sense the immense power and demonic aura coming from ahead, and could see the Saimyosho, which meant that Miroku couldn't use his wind tunnel.

"Wait, Inuyasha, you just left them?! They couldn't been killed!" Kagome yelled, and Inuyasha groaned.

"Of course not! Miroku has a barrier put up which is working for now, and Sango and Kilala are handling themselves well. Besides, I had to go get you!" He countered, falling below the trees, so that they would be somewhat hidden.

"Kagome, they're dangerous. I want you to tell me where the jewel shards are, then stay back. Got it?" Inuyasha looked intensely at Kagome, who shook her head furiously.

"No way! I'm going to help you, whether you like it or not!" She countered, crossing her arms. Inuyasha sighed, but knew that he would get nowhere in arguing with her.

"Fine, just try to stay out of trouble. Can you see them?" He turned to the battle, pulling Kagome so that they were hiding slightly behind a tree.

"Hm… yes! The girl, she has one in each wrist, and one on her forehead, and one in her back! And the guy, one in each leg, one in each wrist, and one on his forehead! Oh my gosh, and he also has one in his katana, and she has one in her fan!" Kagome was shocked at how many jewel shards Naraku had given these assassins: he meant business this time, obviously.

"Damn it… that's more than I thought. Well, no matter how many jewel shards they've got, I'm going to wipe them off the face of the world!" Inuyasha cursed, but went running into the fray.

Kagome ran out, as well, and stopped at the top of a hill, where she could see everything.

Miroku stood, hold out his staff, trying desperately to maintain his barrier, which was holding back the female demon, as she attacked with her steel war fan. Sango and Kilala were busy dealing with the male, as he came too close for comfort. Inuyasha went charging in, and pulled out Tessaiga.

At this point, the demons turned to Inuyasha, ignoring their previous targets.

"Ahaha, finally, you show up to the party. Inuyasha, correct?" The male demon said, grinning viciously.

He was a tall demon with dark red hair and pointed ears, light colored eyes, and a scar across his eye. He had dark red scale-type ornaments along his arms, and huge, dark bat wings upon his back. His crimson armor seemed to match the rest of him.

"Hn. Rather fashion conscious, I guess." Kagome mumbled to herself.

"Yes, brother, it seems as though our target has at least garnered the courage to face us in battle. Shall we show him the power the jewel shards have brought us, Matsuo?" The female appeared beside the male, hanging on his arm.

Her appearance was very similar to the male's, now identified as her brother's, and had the same scale ornaments, wings, and a lighter version of his armor. Her lips were painted a dark red, and her eyes glinted with humor and malice.

"Yes, Azami, I would say that will work quite well. Now, Inuyasha, witness the true power of the bat demon twins, Azami and Matsuo!" The twins embraced, before turning to the group.

Inuyasha smirked.

"You know, it's flashy shit like that that's going to cost you. Jewel shards or not, you're going down!" Inuyasha lunged for the twins, swinging Tessaiga upon them.

Azami countered with a sonic blast from her mouth, and went to swipe at Inuyasha with her fan, but was stopped by Sango and Kilala.

"Inuyasha! Go for Matsuo!" Sango yelled, and Inuyasha nodded.

Matsuo laughed wickedly, pulling his katana, and heading straight for Inuyasha.

The two continued countering each other, neither gaining any ground, when suddenly, Inuyasha paused.

"That aura… it's huge! And the smell of… tears?" He was shocked for barely a second, but it was enough for Matsuo to knock Tessaiga out of his hands.

"You seem distracted, half-breed. I'll say, it makes me quite angry to know that I'm not interesting enough for you to keep your head in the battle. Perhaps the feel of my blade through your heart will bring you back to it!" He spat, moving to stab Inuyasha.

"Blades of blood!" Inuyasha countered, leaping out of the way.

"Damn it… I've got to get to the Tessagia, or there's no way this will work!" He growled, realizing the gravity of the situation.

He steered himself, and leapt for the sword.

* * *

"Master Jaken, Master Jaken! Look!" Rin squealed with excitement as she splashed in the river, attempting to show her swimming abilities. She fumbled about, trying her best to stay afloat.

"RIN! Rin, don't do that! It is far too dangerous! Come out of there, immediately!" Jaken screeched, rushing over to the side of the water in an attempt to pull his lord's ward from the river. He became more and more frustrated as she seemed not to hear him, instead choosing to continue her 'swimming'.

"Truly, I don't understand why Lord Sesshomaru chooses to put up with this… this creature! She's hardly worth the effort!" He grumbled, before being stepped on, and having his face shoved into the ground by his lord's foot.

"Rin. Come." Sesshomaru's voice pulled Rin from her joy at having not yet drowned, and she moved to the shore, standing up and wringing her hair out.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru!" She nodded, hurrying to walk beside him as he strode along, until he paused suddenly.

Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks, as a breeze brought several new scents to his attention. His eyes narrowed in confusion and slight intrigue.

"Inuyasha's blood..." He said to himself, raising his head and seeking out the source of the strange smells. The scent of his half-brother's blood came from the east, and as he went to move ahead, ready to ignore it, smelled something else.

He turned, eyes widening at the scent of another dog demon, along with the salty one of tears. This, he could not ignore. There weren't any true dog demons nearby: not before. This demon obviously was not hiding herself, either. Out of curiosity, Sesshomaru strode ahead.

"Rin. Stay with Jaken and Ah-Un." He ordered, and sped ahead, leaving his ward behind.

As he picked up his pace, he felt an immense power. It seemed to be a combination of many things; the aura of a dog demon, and something else, a strange, other power, which blended with the demonic aura.

It was alarmingly powerful, and seemingly uncontrolled: as he grew even nearer, he realized that the source of the aura (and the tears) was heading rapidly in Inuyasha's direction.

* * *

Sydney shot up from her place against the tree, her nose twitching at having been assaulted with a strange, metallic scent. She stood, turning around, searching for the source, and yet, saw nothing.

She picked a direction, and headed in it, her hair standing on end at the odor, and desperate to find its origin. As she moved, the scent grew stronger.

"Inuyasha!" She heard someone yell in the distance, and ran faster.

"That's…. Kagome! That's Kagome's voice!" Amazed at her luck, Sydney sprinted as fast as her new body would allow her, her sadness and fear that had so plagued her just minutes ago leaving her.

She ran out of the trees, finally leaving the forest, and it was then that she got an immense feeling of dread. She felt a strange power around her, pressing down on her, and her body seemed to resist it on its own.

She began to slow, but realizing how close she was getting, continued running, reaching a field where she saw a rather interesting combination of people, and a fierce battle.

She searched frantically, and found Kagome at the top of a hill, wielding a bow and arrow, aiming into the battle going on below. In the fight itself, she saw the dog-eared boy in red from before, along with what looked like a monk, some woman in tight black armor, and a flaming cat with two tails. They were trying to take down two winged creatures, who looked human, but obviously weren't, dressed in dark reds and blacks. One, a girl, wielded a giant metal fan, while the other, a guy, was trying to decapitate dog-boy with a long sword. Said boy was frantically rushing for a katana which was embedded in the ground nearby.

Sydney stopped in her tracks, incredibly confused.

"Stop MEDDLING!" The male demon shouted, sending a huge blast of energy at Kagome, and Sydney's eyes widened, and she leapt into action, speeding to the hill and shoving Kagome out of the way.

"S-Sydney? Is that you?" Kagome stared at Sydney, who was now hovering over her, as they had rolled to the bottom of the hill, and were lying on top of each other.

"Kagome Higurashi, you have got a lot of explaining to do. I've been looking all over this god forsaken forest for you and dog-boy over there! I thought you were hurt, or something!" Sydney cried, hugging Kagome tightly. Kagome hesitantly embraced her friend, but was stunned.

"Sydney… you have a demonic aura… and you look so different! What happened to you?" Kagome moved to stand, gingerly pushing Sydney off of her person. Sydney looked at herself briefly, and was about to answer, but they were interrupted by a loud yell as Inuyasha was shoved to the ground.

"I'll answer later. For now, explain to me what this is, and who they are!" Sydney said, grabbing Kagome and jumping out of the fray. She stopped when she felt safe enough, and turned to Kagome, who was frantically looking for Inuyasha's safety.

"They're the bat demon twins, Azami and Matsuo. They're here to kill Inuyasha, but us as well!" Kagome said, before aiming an arrow and shooting for the wings of Matsuo.

Sydney looked at the glowing arrow and remembered Kagome using that same technique back home.

"So it wasn't just my imagination…" She whispered in amazement.

His wing was singed, and he hissed in anger, looking to the two girls.

Sydney paused for a moment, remembering what she'd done to the men earlier.

"If I can just do that again…" She thought, clenching her fists.

"Kagome, I think I can help. I've picked up some quirks while looking for you, and I'm not planning on dying today. Come on." Sydney grinned, before grabbing Kagome, and rushing over to the others.

They looked at her in confusion, before looking to Kagome, who shrugged.

Matsuo glared at her, before charging, attempting to stab her through the chest. Sydney leapt atop the sword, and kicked him in the chest, pushing him back several feet.

"Hey, looks like those years of gymnastics and cheerleading are finally coming in handy!" She chuckled, gaining a new confidence.

She was then thrown aside by Azami's fan, and landed on her knees, looking up at the twins, who were now standing together.

"So, there's a bitch that Naraku failed to warn us about. No matter. You'll die just as soon." Azami pouted, readying her fan once again.

"WIND SCAR!" A loud shout brought everyone out of the moment, and a huge blast of energy sent the demon twins flying away.

Sydney pulled Kagome away, and the others leapt from the blast. At the forefront, stood Inuyasha (or as Sydney knew him, dog-boy), wielding his blade once again.

"If you thought I was hard to handle without my Tessaiga, I'd like to see you try me with it! Prepare to DIE!" He lunged at the twins, who barely dodged his blow.

Kagome notched an arrow, and joined in the fight.

Sydney tried to help as well, but somehow couldn't bring the same effect as she had earlier. She fought, but was swatted aside, and grew angrier and angrier with being brushed off, until she saw Kagome's bow and arrows knocked from her hands.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha and Sydney yelled simultaneously, as Azami went to attack Kagome, who was now entirely vulnerable.

Sydney's eyes glowed with a newfound strength, and vines suddenly shot out from the ground, entangling the bat demoness, and leaving her immobile.

"What the hell is this!?" She screeched, trying to break free, but the vines tightened around her neck, and she choked, unable to breathe.

Kagome scrambled away, grabbing her bow and arrows, and shooting Azami, who screamed in pain, as the vines tossed her away, and her body lie, unmoving.

"I'll get the jewel shards! Go help Inuyasha!" Kagome said, after she stopped staring at Sydney.

Sydney sighed in relief, and ran to aid Inuyasha as Kagome ran to the body.

Inuyasha was matching Matsuo with every sword strike, but couldn't seem to land a hit. Sydney went to help, but Inuyasha glanced at her, and shook his head.

"No, leave this asshole to me!" He growled, and Sydney pursed her lips in frustration.

"Damn, he's already annoying." She grumbled, backing away slightly, ready to help at the sign of any trouble.

Suddenly, she heard a strangled cry, and looked over to the source: Kagome!

Azami wasn't quite finished yet, and though she was in rough shape, she had enough energy to wrap her hands around Kagome's neck, and was trying to strangle her.

"NO!" Sydney screamed, and Inuyasha turned to help, shoving Matsuo back.

He stopped in his tracks, however, as he saw what had already transpired.

Kagome, who had clenched her eyes shut, could suddenly breathe again, and looked up, to see a hand, dripping poison, through Azami's chest.

Azami's mouth fell open, and her hands went to her chest, before she was pulled off of Kagome and shoved to the ground.

Kagome touched the marks on her neck lightly, breathing heavily, grateful to be alive.

Sydney knelt down, her claws still toxic, and ripped her hands across Azami's torso, as the bat demon let out a scream of pain.

"Sydney! Sydney, stop it!" Kagome called out, but she did not stop. Kagome ran to her, and gasped in horror, as Sydney's eyes went blood red, seeming to burn.

Kagome backed away slowly, before Sydney put her hands on Azami's head, and Azami's body caught fire, spreading from her head down to her legs.

She continued to scream, desperately trying to relieve the pain inflicted, but eventually fell still and silent as Sydney climbed off of her, and stepped away, letting the fire go out.

Sydney backed away, before collapsing to her hands and knees, staring into the ground, silent as the corpse just a few feet away.

"Sydney?" She called hesitantly, stepping closer.

Kagome was extremely worried for her friend. She hadn't expected her to follow Inuyasha into the feudal era, let alone come to this fight! Nor had she expected her to have turned into a demon. Yet, Kagome was still very confused about something she was sensing.

As she stepped closer to Sydney, it grew even stronger. An aura unlike anything she'd ever experienced, yet, it was not demonic.

Sydney trembled briefly, before collapsing to the ground, seeming to pass out.

"Sydney!" Kagome rushed to her side, but before she could touch her, saw that Sydney had begun to glow slightly.

She stared in awe as Sydney's body pulsated with a faint white light, and Kagome inched closer, a bit worried.

"Something is protecting her…" She whispered, as she reached out, and the aura pushed back slightly.

"I'm not going to hurt her, I promise. I want to help." Kagome said, hoping she was speaking to something and that she wasn't talking to herself.

She breathed a sigh of relief as it seemed to work, and the aura pulled back a bit.

Kagome rolled Sydney's body over so that she was now lying on her back, and tried to awaken her.

A shadow fell upon the two, and Kagome looked up, hoping it would be Inuyasha.

"You… you killed my sister."

No such luck.

Matsuo stood, his demonic aura sending his armor and garments flapping around him, and his eyes crimson with rage.

Kagome searched frantically for Inuyasha, who was struggling to stand, having been beaten away by Matsuo.

"You killed Azami… and now, I'm going to rip your heart out. You and that dog demon wench." He spoke, raising his sword.

Kagome threw her body over Sydney's, and felt a huge pulse of the aura she felt earlier.

Kagome looked at Sydney, whose eyes were now open, red again, and whose aura was spreading out, suffocating any others nearby.

This blast of power sent Matsuo flying backwards, as Sydney stood, pushing Kagome behind her.

"That's not her… Sydney isn't in control right now… she can't be!" Kagome stared in fear at the confrontation in front of her, but upon hearing Inuyasha's grunt of pain, ran to his side.

She helped him stand, and he glanced up at the scene, mouth falling open slightly.

"She's bordering on a demonic transformation! Kagome, if she's not in control now, then we need to get away. I can protect you, but he hits hard… I need a second. If she can handle him for that long, we will be okay." Inuyasha said, and Kagome nodded, as they went to join the rest of the group, who were now standing at the edge of the forest, staring in awe at the new demoness who was taking on Matsuo.

Sydney stood, leering over at Matsuo, who was watching her carefully, sizing her up.

"So, you're not going to play dead, eh? Either way, you ought to recognize when it's time to give up. You may have taken out Azami, but when I'm through with you, you'll be begging for mercy, like a good dog should. You'll wish you'd never been BORN!" He yelled, charging at her with his blade at the ready.

Sydney's eyes were void of any emotion or life, and didn't seem to move at all before she disappeared from sight, and Matsuo was bombarded on all side by the very vines that'd brought down his sister.

He cursed under his breath, leaping out of their reach, and turning around, looking for Sydney. He spun frantically, growing more and more irritated, but couldn't see her.

She appeared out of the corner of his eye, and ran at him with newfound demonic speed, and went to hit him, but he used his wings to protect himself from the hit, sweeping her aside.

As Sydney prepared to attack once more, her eyes widened, her jaw went slack, and she looked down, to see Matsuo's sword through her stomach. She reached for the blade, hunching over, the sensation of pain beginning to take effect on her.

Matsuo laughed wildly, twisting it further into her flesh, before ripping it out roughly, her blood coating it. He brought the blade to his mouth, and let his tongue glide over the red substance. Kagome gagged and turned away, repulsed by the sight.

"The blood of the woman who killed my sister… it's worthless. Pathetic. Disgusting." Matsuo spat, stepping closer to Sydney, who was clutching the hole in her stomach, her body shaking slightly.

Her head shot up, and her fangs began growing, her face shifting. Demonic energy clouded around her, masking her from view.

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and sprinted away, hiding behind a tree, just a few feet from Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kilala, who had wisely sought refuge as well, upon seeing Inuyasha retreat.

"Inuyasha, you never run away! What's happening?" Kagome shook him fiercely, trying to meet his gaze. He refused, keeping his eyes on the massive shape growing nearby, and Matsuo, who was readying his sword, but cautiously eyeing it as well.

"She's transforming. She doesn't have any control, so it probably won't last long, but it's dangerous. You said you know her, but right now, she'd rip you in half if you came close. It's best to stay away for now, unless you want me to kill her." Inuyasha put his hand to Tessaiga, but Kagome shook her head.

"No! You can't kill her… we'll just have to wait it out, I guess." She knelt down, watching carefully, brows scrunched together in worry.

"Sydney, please, snap out of it soon!" She whispered, hoping that somehow her words would have an effect.

As the cloud of her energy faded, a huge white paw swung out at Matsuo, who rolled aside, unable to fly due to his earlier wing injury. He hissed at the creature and went to attack, but was swatted aside.

The huge white demon hound had long, flowing fur, with gold marks on the corners of her mouth, and an azure droplet mark on her forehead, and huge ears that hung down, with light brown marks flecking the pristine coloration of her coat.

Her mouth hung open, dripping a toxic substance that left poisonous gas hanging in the air nearby, and her red eyes glowed with a feral anger that sent chills down Kagome's spine. Matsuo began to laugh, a dark chuckle that rang through the clearing.

"So, the mutt's shown her true form. You may be bigger, but that'll just make it easier to catch you, you sneaky bitch!" He snarled, sending a blast of sonic energy at his opponent, but she leapt into the air, and came crashing down on his very spot; he barely escaped her, and clenched his teeth, sweeping in for another attempt to bring her down.

He cried out in pain as her poisonous claws raked across his body, and tried desperately to raise his sword to block, but the sword was knocked to the ground.

"Damn you!" He screamed, flying upward with the last of his strength, managing to get just above Sydney's head. However, this ended up not being the best choice, as he was caught between her jaws, and let out an agonizing wail as her teeth crushed him, before the poison began to melt away his skin.

Her jaws opened, and he fell to the ground, mangled and barely twitching.

"She used him as a chew toy!" Shippo whimpered, having been watching the fight through Sango's fingers. Sango turned him away from the grotesque view, clutching him tighter to her.

Sydney's demon form collapsed, and in a flash of light, she was back to her human form, unmoving on the ground.

"Inuyasha, get the jewel shards! I'm going to help Sydney!" Kagome ordered, rushing over to her friend's side.

She felt her pulse, and closed her eyes in relief when she saw that Sydney was, indeed, breathing, albeit heavily. Inuyasha joined her, dropping the jewel shards into her lap. He stared down at the unconscious girl, confused, and a tad worried, his lips pursed in thought.

"Inuyasha, can you explain to us exactly what it was that just happened?" Miroku asked, as the group crowded around Kagome and her friend.

"Hm… I suppose you guys haven't been around a full dog demon transformation, except Kagome. Basically, that was her true form. I'm going to assume that she doesn't know how to control it, so her instincts took over, and she went crazy. Obviously, she can't last long that way, and her lost energy is what made her pass out. She ought to be alright, but she'll take a while to recover." Inuyasha explained, examining the markings on her face, and her ears.

As the group discussed the battle and what had occurred, as well as Sydney's appearance, a tall figure watched from the shadows, masking his aura carefully.

Sesshomaru could still sense the remains of the energy from the girl's transformation, and it confused him to no end. He hadn't sensed any creature of such power nearby until just recently, and that energy would have been clear from miles away. She could have masked it, true, but then, why stop?

It didn't make any sense. Sesshomaru crept a bit closer, and elected to listen in on his half-brother's conversation a bit longer, hoping for some clues on this new woman, and who exactly she was.

"The last time I saw something like that, it was when Sesshomaru attacked you for the Tessaiga, Inuyasha!" Kagome realized, moving Sydney's hair so that she could better see the markings that now adorned her face.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at the thought of his brother, and nodded reluctantly.

"Yes, but that's about where the similarities end. That jackass has total control over his demon form: if it'd been him that she'd fought like that, she'd be running off with her tail between her legs, if not lying dead on the ground."

Kagome glanced down at her friend, who didn't seem like she would come to any time soon.

"But, Inuyasha, she did things I've never known Sesshomaru to be capable of. And there's something different about her aura… Sesshomaru's I'm familiar with, but there's something else mixed in. It reminds me of the jewel, but it's definitely not.

Inuyasha didn't reply, but bent down and picked up Sydney, placing her on Kilala's back.

"We ought to move out of here. Let's get her somewhere safe, at least, so that we can figure this out." Inuyasha said.

As he did laid her down on the demon cat, however, a shining sliver of pink fell from her shirt. Kagome leaned down and picked it up, gasping at it.

"A jewel shard? But… how didn't I sense it?" Kagome asked, to no one in particular.

"That would be the stone that hid it from you." A voice answered, and the group jumped, turning, battle-ready to the source.

Michiko emerged from the shadows, approaching the group at a leisurely pace.

"Who the hell are you?! I'm pretty tired of new people today, so make it snappy." Inuyasha snapped, hand moving to Tessaiga's hilt.

"You know, you really ought to be kinder to strangers. Else, you'll never get what you want. My name is Michiko. I am the one who gave your friend the power she now possesses." Michiko chided, pausing in front of Kagome.

"Wait. Sydney was a human, until she came here. Were you the one that changed her into a demon? Is that the power you gave her? But how!? Why?" Kagome asked, upset and troubled by the prospect.

This woman comes out of nowhere, and changes Sydney into a demon….?

Kagome knew that it couldn't have been with consent: Sydney wouldn't understand. This woman had an ulterior motive, and Kagome was determined to find out what it was.

"She would have died otherwise. I asked for a favor, and in exchange, gave her a gift. Two gifts, really. The first: my own demonic abilities. I've blended our very essences, and now, she is all I was, and I am human, nothing more." Michiko explained, smiling slightly, and reaching over to stroke the markings on Sydney's face.

She looked down fondly, as if deep in thought. She only looked back to the people around her when Kagome snapped her fingers.

"What else did you do to her? I can sense something else there… some other power. It wasn't there before, and it doesn't seem demonic. Explain, now!" Kagome demanded, frustrated at Michiko's casual attitude and the way she didn't seem to consider the situation grave at all.

"The power she possesses is known as the _Seimei no Ishi_. The stone of life. You are quite right, in that it is not a demonic power. Rather, it is one of life, and nature. It belongs to her, and its power is hers."

Michiko then turned to Kagome, looking intensely at her for a moment.

"You are the guardian of the Shikon no Tama, are you not? Consider this: the sacred jewel of four souls is a dark, malicious power, easy to abuse. It has corrupted many, both humans and demons. It must be purified, else, it causes nothing but misfortune. The Seimei no Ishi, the stone of life, is both its parallel and its opposite. It is an eternal power, naturally pure. It does, however, have the potential to steal one's sanity. It drove its last guardian mad.

You are her friend… Kagome, yes? She spoke of you. She cares for you. And I hope, you for her. Care for her. Protect her. In return, I am confident that she will be the key to your victory, and defeating the enemy you seek. I am familiar with Naraku, and what he has done. She will be very helpful, as you cannot defeat him on your own." Michiko turned away, and began walking back in the direction from which she came.

"What do you know? You're just a human!" Inuyasha shouted, stepping forward in an attempt to halt her retreat.

Kagome hissed at him, and was ignored. Kagome bit her lip in worry: this woman was powerful. Human or not, she got a strange feeling from her. She was also the only one who seemed able to help, and understood what had happened (not to mention caused it).

Michiko paused for a moment, smirking to herself, before continuing into the forest.

Inuyasha went to follow her, but Kagome put a stop to that rather quickly.

"SIT BOY!" Kagome shouted, sending Inuyasha crashing to the ground, leaving a half-demon shaped crater in the dirt. He let out a muffled string of curses, but Kagome paid no mind to him, instead heading over to check on Sydney, who was laying on Kilala's back.

Kagome examined the jewel shard that had been in Sydney's possession, thinking hard.

'So, this is how she got through the well… I must've left it behind by accident. But still, how could anything mask a jewel shard from me?' She pondered, looking to Sydney, whose closed eyes were twitching slightly, as if she were trying to wake up.

"We should take her to Kaede's village. I'm sure she'll be able to help." Sango suggested, climbing atop Kilala, pushing Sydney in front of her slightly, so that Miroku could also climb on.

Kagome nodded, turning to face Inuyasha, who had stood up, and was currently sulking, glaring daggers at the girl in green.

"Shall we?" She grinned, approaching him. He begrudgingly allowed her onto his back, and leapt into the air, starting in the direction of the village. The rest of the group followed, and were gone.

Sesshomaru stepped out from his place in the trees, and looked after them.

"Hn. Interesting." He said softly, considering all he had heard. He had a strong feeling he would be encountering the girl again soon, and with that, turned and headed back to where he'd left Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed! Thank you so much for the reviews so far, they are super helpful and encouraging! Please continue to review, review, review, and let me know what you think!**


	4. Two Dog Demons & A Return to the Present

**Hello, hello! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, and thank you so much for the reviews! They really put a smile on my face, and help me improve my writing! I am super sorry that I haven't updated sooner, but I've been having some family issues and dealing with two jobs, so it's a bit rough, ahaha. Please continue to review and let me know what you think! Here's a big thank you to everyone who reviewed! I will reply to those I feel need more than a thank you, or to questions, but please don't worry if I didn't say anything specific! I still love and appreciate you 3**

 **AngelicDemon07**

 **Furostomi-chan – Thank you so much for bringing that up! I knew it was a stretch myself, but I read about somehow getting a shotgun through, and I figured I'd try to make it work. I appreciate your bringing that up, and your review**

 **MissKatress – Don't worry, I plan to update rather frequently!**

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 **LADY SILVERFOX aka charita rai – In time, you will see! Nothing will happen too soon, however: it IS Sesshomaru we're talking about, ahaha.**

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 **darkangelynn5**

 **DragonClanMaster**

 **dsi user**

 **moonlight**

 **Also, a big thank you to all of those who favorite and follow!**

 **And, without further adieu, I present, chapter four!**

 **As a brief disclaimer, I own none of the actual Inuyasha characters, objects, etc… I do own my OC's, (Sydney, Michiko, etc..), and anything else I add in myself.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

" _SIT BOY!" Kagome shouted, sending Inuyasha crashing to the ground, leaving a half-demon shaped crater in the dirt. He let out a muffled string of curses, but Kagome paid no mind to him, instead heading over to check on Sydney, who was laying on Kilala's back._

 _Kagome examined the jewel shard that had been in Sydney's possession, thinking hard._

' _So, this is how she got through the well… I must've left it behind by accident. But still, how could anything mask a jewel shard from me?' She pondered, looking to Sydney, whose closed eyes were twitching slightly, as if she were trying to wake up._

" _We should take her to Kaede's village. I'm sure she'll be able to help." Sango suggested, climbing atop Kilala, pushing Sydney in front of her slightly, so that Miroku could also climb on._

 _Kagome nodded, turning to face Inuyasha, who had stood up, and was currently sulking, glaring daggers at the girl in green._

" _Shall we?" She grinned, approaching him. He begrudgingly allowed her onto his back, and leapt into the air, starting in the direction of the village. The rest of the group followed, and were gone._

 _Sesshomaru stepped out from his place in the trees, and looked after the figures fading into the distance._

" _Hn. Interesting." He said softly, considering all he had heard. He had a strong feeling he would be encountering the girl again soon, and with that, turned and headed back to where he'd left Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un._

* * *

Kagome glanced nervously over to Sydney, who had not yet awoken.

 _I really hope she's not afraid of heights…_ She thought, having a terrifying image of Sydney waking up, screaming, and scrambling off of Kilala's back in panic, popping into her head.

She shut her eyes tight and shook her head, trying to ignore all of worst-case scenarios that had been plaguing her ever since the fight with the bat demon twins.

"So, what do you propose we do with her when she wakes up?" Shippo asked, peering over Sango's shoulder at the girl, who was slouched over Kilala in what looked like a rather uncomfortable way.

Kagome shot him a glare, and he cowered slightly, shutting his mouth.

"We're not going to DO anything with her. She's going to be fine, and she'll decide what she wants to do. She may be a demon now, but she's not dangerous! She's still my friend, and it's my responsibility to make sure she's safe." She said, once again, looking to see if Sydney was showing any signs of consciousness.

And once again, nothing. Her eyes were shut, unmoving, and her breathing was slow and steady. She had calmed substantially from before, at least, but little else had changed.

"Kagome, I know you're in denial, but she IS dangerous. Did you not see what happened back there? If she loses control again, she could do a lot of damage to all of us, no matter if she's your friend or not." Inuyasha retorted, and Kagome clutched to him even tighter.

She bit her lip, trying to fight off the thoughts of Sydney going mad and trying to kill her. Yes, she took out the demon twins, but they put her in danger, and threatened her life. She wouldn't attack just anyone, would she?

Sydney, unbeknownst to the others, began to stir, upon hearing the very loud voices of her new traveling companions, and hearing her name brought up several times.

She began to open her eyes, but decided that it would be best to stay asleep for a bit, and figure out just what was going on.

She was careful to maintain her steady breathing, and barely move, as they continued their conversation.

"Although Inuyasha has a point, if she can be taught to control herself, then she could be a valuable ally in the fight against Naraku. You heard the woman- Michiko, was it? She seemed to be telling the truth. If, indeed, she was, and Sydney has only been a demon for hours, then obviously she would be out of control. It will take time to learn and understand her new abilities." Miroku chimed in, earning himself a glare of irritation from Inuyasha, and a huge smile from Kagome.

"Miroku is right! After we get her some help, I'm sure she will be incredibly helpful! Besides, Naraku doesn't know about her yet, so we could possibly catch him by surprise." Sango agreed, causing Inuyasha to groan.

"Fine, fine. Since you guys want her around so bad, she can stay. But one screw-up, and she's dead meat." Inuyasha spat, staring coldly forward.

No one responded to his comment, and they could see Kaede's village just over the trees.

Sydney clenched her teeth, annoyed by Inuyasha's pessimistic attitude, and extremely lost.

 _What DID happen back there?_

It was at this moment that Sydney's stomach let out an unfortunately loud growl, and she decided there was no better time to 'wake up'.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she was met with the glistening eyes of Kagome, and her high-pitched squeal.

"Sydney! You're awake! God, I was so worried!"

Sydney looked over, and saw that Kagome was being given a piggy-back ride by Inuyasha, who, by the looks of it, wasn't too pleased with the situation. Sydney then took a look at her own situation, and saw that she was riding the cat from earlier, who had flames on its body. She turned her head slightly, not bothering to actually lift herself off of her laying position, and saw the woman in the tight black suit, the monk from before (who she'd understood was Miroku), and a little boy with a tail and furry paws.

She gawked at the people around her for a moment, blinking a few times, and realized that if she wasn't so exhausted, she'd be screaming for many reasons.

She elected to ignore these concerns, and instead turned back to Kagome.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I do have an awful headache, though. And truthfully, I haven't felt this tired since my first exams of high school, when I decided to pull an all-nighter to study every other day." She muttered, laying her head back down on the luscious fur that was so conveniently below her.

"Aha, yeah. We'll explain why in a bit. But for now, look! We're here!" Kagome pointed ahead, and Sydney looked to see a wide-spread village. She smiled faintly, at finally having found some sort of civilization in this dreadful place.

"Sweet." She sighed, upon recognizing that, like any long journey, their arrival meant she had to get up and actually move around, which she was definitely not looking forward to.

Luckily, she was entirely wrong, as they all landed in front of a hut, and Kilala carried her directly inside of the building, startling an old woman with an eyepatch.

Kaede, upon seeing her visitors, smiled.

"Ah, so you've returned! And ye have brought someone new, hm? What is thy name, dear?" She asked, helping Sydney off of Kilala and onto a mat. Upon reaching the floor, Sydney laid back down, and curled up into a ball.

"My name is Sydney. Nice to meet you…?" Sydney said, stretching her arms out, and realizing that she had no idea who this woman was.

"Kaede, we've got one heck of a story for you!" Shippo chirped, as the group circled around the fire in the center of the room, Kagome sitting with Sydney, trying (unsuccessfully) to get her to sit up. Sydney swatted her hand away, preferring to lay on the floor.

Kagome sighed in exasperation, but looked to Kaede, who sat, waiting expectantly.

She took a deep breath, and began telling the story from the beginning, from when Sydney arrived in Japan.

Kaede tilted her head slightly as Kagome finished, eyes narrowing a bit in thought.

"So, your friend has been turned into a demon, with the power of the Seimei no Ishi?" She clarified, and Kagome nodded, and Kaede, stood, beginning to prepare some remedies for the girl who now was sprawled across her floor.

"It is, indeed, possible to transfer one's demonic energy into another. They cannot be entirely exchanged, but they can be merged, as this one has been. Only demons with extreme power and control can do such a thing: it does make sense that the guardian of the stone of life would be strong enough to accomplish it, but I do wonder why…" She explained, moving around the hut.

Everyone listened carefully, eager to find out more about their newest companion.

Sydney sat up slightly, leaning onto her elbows, absorbing everything that the woman, Kaede, was saying. She wondered the same thing: why?

"The Seimei no Ishi is an artifact of great power and history. It is much older than any of us, or the Shikon no Tama. Ye'd all best get comfortable. This story has been passed down through many generations, so I am unsure of how much of it is still true, but I will relay what I know." Kaede sat down again, handing Sydney some food, medicine, and a blanket, which she gratefully took.

"Long ago, there was a great war between many demons, who sought for little more than the annihilation of humanity, and the very spirits of the land, who protected all life. The war was long and brutal, but eventually, one spirit, by the name of Eiji, gathered some of the most powerful other spirits, and created an object full of life, and power, that would be able to push back the demon hordes. This was the Seimei no Ishi; the stone of life. The spirits poured their individual powers and auras into the stone, merging together, creating an object of harmony, and balance; Eiji used the stone, which manipulated life itself, and emerged victorious. However, it was universally understood that their victory was short lived. These demons were persistent. The spirits realized that, having poured most of their energy into the stone, they would be unable to protect it from those who knew of its existence and wished to use it for their own benefit, and chose a guardian to protect the stone, should there ever be a time when it was needed again. They found this guardian in a dog demon, who fought alongside the spirits, and sympathized with humans and the other creatures who the demons sought to eradicate. She was incredibly powerful, and could effectively keep the stone from being misused." Kaede paused, looking to Sydney, who was listening intently.

"So, what next? I've never heard of the stupid thing, and it obviously isn't as powerful as the sacred jewel, or else I would've. So why is it so important?"

"Inuyasha, be quiet!" Kagome hushed, causing Inuyasha to cross his arms and turn his head away in indignation, mumbling something offensive that he didn't have the gall to say loudly.

"Thank ye, child. Now, Inuyasha, the stone is very powerful. More so than the sacred jewel. However, they are of entirely different natures. Listen now, and thy questions will be answered as best as I can." Kaede took a breath, ready to continue.

"Many years later, the guardian of the stone somehow came to meet Midoriko, the priestess who was so fiercely battling a horde of demons, and saw her plight. She decided to assist in the fight, using the stone to help Midoriko, and hold the line against the beasts. The two became very close, and were feared by humans and demons alike for their combined power."

At this, Kilala's ears perked upwards, and she stared, just as intently as the humans in the group, at their storyteller, her eyes flickering between Sydney, and Kaede.

"However, the stone was very taxing on its guardian, and she needed to rest often. Exhausted, she hid herself temporarily, and it was that moment that the demons struck most harshly. Midoriko, in her state of weakness and desperation, was forced to extreme measures, and in her attempt to purify the demon's very soul, pushed her own soul out through her chest, creating the sacred Shikon no Tama: the jewel of four souls. The guardian, upon returning, found her companion and friend in this state: her body frozen in time, and her soul caught in an eternal struggle within the jewel. She was heartbroken, but forced herself to remain strong, vowing to avenge Midoriko, and protect her soul from all who would defile it."

At this, all of the eyes in the room flickered with emotion. Sango looked up, realizing something.

"So, she was the one who gave the jewel to my village?" She proposed, trying to piece together the story into something that made sense, or something that connected to her companions in any way.

"Indeed. She entrusted it to the demon slayers, in the hopes that they would be able to protect it, and set off. For many years, she travelled, as a being of solitude. She was feared throughout the land, but also revered, as a creature of mercy and kindness, but also of great power and determination. She would slay any who she found doing wrong, and upon finding seekers of the sacred jewel, cut them down. However, over time, she faded away, seeming to disappear. Now, her existence has been reduced to that of a myth, and most do not know of the stone, or believe in it. I do not even know her name." Kaede finished, stoking the fire slightly, as it began to die down.

"Michiko. Her name is Michiko." Sydney said softly, thinking of the woman who she tried to save, but ended up saving her, and who had turned her into what she was.

"And now, she has emerged from the shadows, hm? And it seems she is no longer the guardian of the Seimei no Ishi. Do you have the stone, child?" Kaede asked, turning to Sydney, who stared at her with wide eyes.

"She handed me something, yes. But all of a sudden, it disappeared, and everything went weird. When I woke up, I was like this, and there was nothing there."

"Strange, indeed…" Kaede mumbled, peering intently into the flames.

Sydney was then struck by a thought, and tuned to Kagome.

"Kagome, you still haven't explained to me why I'm so sore and tired." She said flatly, and Kagome cringed.

"Aha, yeah. About that… it's going to sound pretty crazy… but basically,-"

"You went batshit, your demonic instincts took over, and you transformed into your demon form and used those bat demons as chew toys." Inuyasha butted in, and Kagome shot him an icy glare.

"Inuyasha!" She scolded, but Inuyasha merely shrugged.

"What? Never say I withheld the truth, ya know." He closed his eyes, leaning against the wall.

"I… I think I need some air." Sydney said, trying to stand herself up. When she saw the struggle she was having, Kagome helped her to her feet, and she took slow steps towards the door.

"Sydney, you should have someone help you!" Kagome stepped closer, moving to follow Sydney, but Sydney batted her outstretched hands away.

"I'll be fine! I just need a minute. I'll be back, and I'll shout if I need anything." Sydney smiled at Kagome, who looked a tad offended by being rejected, but reluctantly slunk back to her seat next to Inuyasha.

Sydney moved slowly outside, careful to not exhaust herself any more than she already was. The sun was just beginning to set, and the air was brisk and refreshing.

She inhaled deeply, and realized just how clean the air was, compared to the modern air, which was so polluted by humans and their actions. She smiled, enjoying the change, and continued walking through the village, leisurely making her way through.

She got several strange looks from villagers who were not yet away for the night, and chose to ignore them, after realizing that they probably hated demons.

As she strolled along, she considered all that Kaede had said, and the story she'd told.

"Michiko said that she gave me a gift. Was that gift the stone? Where is it?" Sydney asked herself, trying to think it out.

Sydney tried desperately to remember having dropped the stone or something, but couldn't.

 _And if I dropped it, then how can I use its power?_ She thought, which only served to confuse her even more.

She shook her head, taking a deep breath and trying to clear her mind. It was then that she sensed something nearby, and she paused, turning in a circle, trying to find the source.

She squinted into the rapidly growing darkness, unnerved by the feeling of being watched. She took a few hesitant steps towards the trees, having walked to the very edge of the village. She prayed that it wasn't a dangerous creature or a demon, as she knew that she didn't have the strength to defend herself; she could barely walk.

As she inched closer, she gasped as her eyes met the piercing gaze of two golden eyes, shining faintly out from the dark. The owner of said eyes stepped out, coming into view, and Sydney's breath halted.

 _He's… gorgeous._

The thought snuck into her head without her consent, and she bit her lip as she pulled herself from his lovely features, and instead saw his formidable appearance: he wore spiked armor, and though his garments themselves were elegant and looked soft, the swords that hung at his hips did not look quite as lovely. He also had a huge pelt that hung over his shoulder, and Sydney was filled with the urge to pet it, which she had to push back, as the man in question stared her down.

They stood still for several moments, before Sydney gulped, trying to decide whether it was wiser to try to run, or not.

"Who are you?" She burst out, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

She awaited an answer, internally screaming and hitting herself for being such a dumbass.

 _Should've run._

"This Sesshomaru does not answer to you. I have my own questions." He replied, his gaze boring into Sydney. She couldn't help but stare at the markings on his face: they were remarkably similar to her own, though she doubted hers were as beautiful.

Sydney swallowed loudly, trying to think of what questions this magnificent creature (who also looked like he would be completely fine with killing her where she stood) would have for her, when they'd never met before. Then it hit her.

 _Inuyasha's brother!_ She remembered, having heard his name discussed while she was pretending to sleep earlier.

Sesshomaru's gaze ran over the girl, trying to read her, to figure something out, but was unable to find anything in her eyes, aura, or stance. She was quite obviously nervous, but very little else was present. He gave up on the indirect route, and instead decided to simply have his answers.

"Who are you? Why are you here, with Inuyasha and his group? What are you, and why is it you seem to be a dog demon, yet, I hadn't sensed you until recently?" He rattled off questions quickly, yet calmly, and with each question, Sydney shrunk further and further away from his monotone voice.

She blinked a few times, trying to think of the correct answers. Of course, usually, such question wouldn't be a right or a wrong, but in this case, she felt as though there were answers that would be helpful, and answers that would not be.

"My name is Sydney. Kagome is my friend, and they helped me out of a bind, so, well, I am here, with them, now. And, uh, I was… hiding myself. My demonic aura wasn't really present until just recently." She spoke slowly, thinking through her words carefully.

 _That's not a lie, right?_

She felt as though he didn't need to know the whole story, and though he glared at her for a moment, he seemed to accept her response. At least, for the time being.

"Hn. And what do you mean, 'wasn't present'?" He pressed on, stepping closer to her, causing Sydney's eye to twitch slightly, and her step match his, moving her backward.

 _Can't he just leave it alone?!_

"Er, well… put simply, I don't have control of my abilities yet." Sydney stumbled over her words, trying to find a way to explain. Realizing she had an opportunity to change the subject, she jumped on it.

"You- you are a dog demon as well? I've heard of your great power and strength… would you be able to teach me how to fight, and be more stable in controlling my demonic powers? Not now, of course, but perhaps, someday?" She asked, clasping her hands in hope.

As she spoke, she realized, it actually was a good idea. She needed to learn somehow, and by requesting his help, and flattering him, she'd be killing two birds with one stone!

Sesshomaru studied her for a moment, briefly considering her request. He knew she was hiding something, but could not tell what it was. He did NOT enjoy being lied to, no matter who it was.

"No." He stated, beginning to turn and walk away.

Sydney's mouth opened slightly: she was not used to rejection. She gritted her teeth, and stormed up behind him.

"Wait just a minute! Why not? I need the help! I'm a danger to everyone around me, even Inuyasha! Can't I just pay you for… lessons, or something?" She argued, causing the silver-haired man to pause for a moment.

"I do not care about Inuyasha." He drawled, seeming bored with the conversation, and more irritated than anything else.

"Pleeeeease? Can I just owe you a favor? There's got to be something I can help you with, eventually! Come on, have a heart!" She whined loudly, earning herself a harsh glare from his sharp, golden eyes. She pursed her lips in frustration, crossing her arms.

Sesshomaru turned slowly, examining her carefully, thinking over the idea. Sydney hoped he was genuinely considering it, but assumed he was just tired of her whining.

In truth, as Sesshomaru turned the idea over in his own mind, he realized that this girl was confusing, and he despised being confused. He sought answers, and if she wouldn't give them now, perhaps agreeing to her absurd request would be sufficient, and he could be rid of her upon learning what he wished.

"Come and find me when you seek training. I grow tired of your insolence: do not expect to continue as you are now in the future." He finally answered, causing Sydney to grin widely, and nod her head.

 _Jackpot!_

"Yes, indeed! No problem! Thank you so much! I'll find you later, then! I really, truly appreciate it-" She said, turning to head back to the village, momentarily forgetting her current state. As she went to take her first steps, at a normal pace, she immediately fell to her hands and knees, letting out a gasp as she hit the ground, interrupting her miniature monologue of gratitude.

Sesshomaru cast an eye over at the girl, finally realizing how weak she was at the moment.

 _She over-exerted herself in the battle; she truly had no idea how to restrain herself._ He recognized, recalling the fierce fight he'd observed earlier.

"If you truly want to train with this Sesshomaru, you will have to get considerably stronger, or you'll simply end up dead." He muttered, as Sydney pushed herself unsteadily to a standing position.

"You're in for a rude awakening if this is what you expect, you cocky bastard…" She grumbled, scowling over at the cocky dog demon, before slowly taking steps back towards the village, keeping in mind that she couldn't move as normal.

 _What, does talking about yourself in the third person automatically make you better?_

Sesshomaru watched for a moment, a brow quirked as the struggle in front of him, and uponseeing the girl make little progress in her attempt to make it back to the village, he made a decision.

Sydney flinched as Sesshomaru grabbed her arm, but looked at him in utter surprise as he helped her across the clearing and back to the path that led into the village, supporting her just enough so that she could make a steady pace.

He said nothing, and stared straight ahead as they walked, ignoring her wide eyed stare.

Sydney eventually turned her eyes back to the path, a small smile spreading across her face.

 _This might not be so terrible after all. Someone that pretty can't be too much of an asshole, right?_

When they reached the village's edge, Sesshomaru let go slowly, waiting for Sydney to steady herself, before walking briskly back into the forest.

"Thank you." She called out, waving slightly. He didn't respond, but Sydney was content.

She got the feeling he wasn't a very expressive man, and she resolved to respect that. He seemed to have a good heart, and that was all she needed in a friend.

Sydney stopped for a moment, realizing that she was referring to him as a friend.

 _I mean, I've never been too choosy, but perhaps a five minute conversation isn't enough. Nah, actually, that's fine._

"Yeah. A friend." She whispered happily, turning and continuing down the path to the hut where Kaede and the others were. When she entered the hut, she was met with worried gazes from everyone, except, of course, for Inuyasha.

Inuyasha immediately leapt up, and began sniffing her, to which she pulled away swiftly, swatting him back and glaring at the red-cloaked half-demon.

"What are you-"

"Why do you smell like my jackass of a half-brother?" He asked, an accusing look in his eyes, and his arms crossed.

"If you're so concerned, it's because I ran into him on my walk. We made a deal! I'd owe him a favor, and he'd train me to be more in control of my abilities! I, for one, think it's a good thing." She exclaimed, clapping her hands together, and sitting down besides Kagome, who smiled at her, ignoring the lingering eyes of Inuyasha.

"That's great!" Kagome said, and everyone else said words of agreement. Except, of course, yet again, for Inuyasha.

"What did you go and do that for?! I could train you! We don't need that bastard around here." Inuyasha objected, which garnered a collective groan from the group. Everyone knew about the hostility between the siblings, but hoped it had somewhat subsided.

"Inuyasha, we already talked about this. You're only a half demon, and you can't train a full blown dog demon in most things." Miroku sighed, obviously tired of the topic.

Inuyasha grumbled in annoyance, before dropping to the ground, and sitting in silence, unable to generate a good comeback or response.

Sydney glanced over, now feeling a bit guilty about their treatment of him. Truly, he was trying to help.

 _He must have some genuine reason for despising Sesshomaru… I'll have to ask him about it later._

"Hey, Inuyasha. Could you train me in some things? Like, how to use a sword, and whatever else you can? I don't know much of anything, so whatever you could teach me would be helpful! Sure, Sesshomaru will teach me certain topics, but I'm sure you'd be just as helpful." She offered, hoping it would bring him out of his sulking. His eyes briefly met hers, a flicker of smugness in them, before leaving her gaze once again.

"Pfft. I guess you really are useless. Yeah, fine. Whatever." He answered, and Sydney knew that would be the best response she would get out of him.

"That reminds me! Sydney, since you've been dragged into all of this already, we've decided that we want to formally invite you to travel with us! What do you say?" Kagome asked, which put the eyes of the entire hut on Sydney once again.

"Well, I don't have much of a choice, do I? Haha, even if I did, I'd say yes. Thanks, guys!" She said, albeit a bit nervously. They did seem like very nice people, but Sydney didn't really know what to think of the situation.

"Well, since you haven't been introduced yet; this is Sango, a demon slayer, Miroku, a monk, Shippo, a fox demon, Kilala, a cat demon, and Inuyasha, a half-demon! I know, we're a weird combination, but we travel together, in search of another half demon, called Naraku. He's truly evil… he's wronged all of us in terrible ways, and is trying to gather all of the shards of the sacred jewel of four souls. Our ultimate goal is to take him out, for good, and prevent any more blood from being shed." Kagome introduced everyone, and the atmosphere of the hut grew very serious as she described Naraku.

Sydney remembered what one of the bat demons had said, about there being 'a bitch that Naraku hadn't warned them about'. A small shiver ran through her upon remembering the battle with the demons, and her hand absentmindedly ran over the places where they'd struck her.

"So, Naraku set those demons on you guys?" She asked, and everyone nodded in confirmation.

"Now that you defeated them, I'm sure he'll be curious about you, as well. You'll have to be extra careful." Miroku said solemnly.

Sydney grew rather anxious at this, and then realized just how filthy she was.

She looked down at her new uniform, which was now covered in blood and dirt. She pursed her lips a bit, and knew she wanted to go home as soon as possible.

"Kagome… do you think we could go home soon? Can we go home at all?" She asked, earning a slight chuckle from Kagome.

"Of course! We can head home whenever you'd like. And, now that you're, well, a demon, I assume you can pass through the well without a jewel shard to help you. Although, I do wonder how we will explain this whole thing to my family…" Kagome pondered, and Sydney reached up, touching the new markings on her face, and her pointed ears.

"We can cover the markings with makeup… and do something about the ears, right? It's just my hair I'm not sure about. After I'm properly rested, can we go back?" She requested, desperate to be back to something normal.

"So, we just jump in?" Sydney asked apprehensively, and Kagome rolled her eyes, nodding, yet again.

"Yes, Sydney. Just jump in. Come on, you did it before!" She urged, swinging her legs over the edge herself.

Sydney gulped, before shaking her head, and stepping forward.

"Okay, okay, fine. Yes. I'll do it. You go first." She said, and Kagome immediately threw herself in, disappearing in a flash of light.

Sydney stared down into the dark well for a moment, before swinging her own legs over the edge, and taking a deep breath, before pushing herself in, shutting her eyes tightly.

She half-expected to hit the group with a resounding 'thud', but instead floated for a bit, before gently landing on the ground.

"Hey, you made it! Now climb on up!" She heard her friend shout from above, and looked up to see Kagome peering down at her, with a wide grin on her face.

Sydney managed to scramble up the side of the well, and Kagome helped pull her out and onto the solid ground inside the shrine.

"Wow. You weren't kidding." Sydney marveled, ecstatic to be back in the modern day.

"Yeah! Okay, let's head inside, and get you a bag, as well as figure out how to make you blend in with humans." Kagome ordered, and Sydney followed her inside the house.

They were stopped however, by a loud shriek.

"DEMON! YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" Grandpa Higurashi screamed, rushing at Sydney with several sutras. Sydney yelped, hiding behind Kagome, who ripped the sutras from her grandfather's hands, and shoving him away from Sydney.

"Grandpa! She's not- okay, yes, she is a demon. But she's Sydney! There's been… some complications. She followed me into the Feudal era, and long story short, she's a dog demon now. She's safe, though!" Kagome hurried to explain, and her grandfather calmed a bit.

"Ah, yes. Welcome back, Sydney. As much as I want to ask you how exactly this happened to you, I believe that, instead, I will just go, and hide- er, read a book. Outside. Yes. Kagome." Grandpa approached Kagome, pulling her aside, and handing her several sutras.

"If something- ANYTHING, should happen, use these. I don't trust that demon…" He eyed Sydney, who pouted in response, and stepped away from his granddaughter.

"Okay, fine, whatever you say, Grandpa." Kagome rolled her eyes, taking the sutras.

"Sydney, come on, let's go get you fixed up! It's been a day already, and you've got to be at school tomorrow!" She said, pulling Sydney upstairs and into her room.

Sydney unzipped her suitcase, and took out her makeup supply.

"Hm. Okay. I think the markings will be fine. It's the ears, hair, and eyes, I'm a bit worried about." She said, beginning to cover up the markings on her face, beginning with the gold marks on her cheeks, and moving to the tear on her forehead.

"I think that if you leave your hair down all of the time, the ears won't even be noticed. As for hair… a wig, maybe? And the eyes… you could get one blue contact lense!" Kagome suggested, but Sydney shook her head.

"You're right about the ears. To be honest, I think that I can leave the eyes and hair. People do weirder things to their appearance." Sydney shrugged, and Kagome hummed in agreement.

Sydney turned to Kagome, finishing the last of the makeup, and gestured to her face.

"What do you think?" She asked, and Kagome narrowed her eyes, searching for any sign of the strange marks.

"I can't even tell they're there! Nicely done!" She said, and Sydney grinned, content with her current appearance.

"Okay, so, we'll wash your uniform tonight, and go to school tomorrow! For now, let's get some sleep." Kagome declared, and Sydney went off to the bathroom, to change into some pajamas.

As she stripped, she gasped in shock at her stomach: there was a faint scar, as if someone had stabbed her, but it was nearly completely healed. She touched it, and recoiled at the feeling of her skin.

"This must be from the fight with the bat demons…" She muttered, turning around, to see that a similar mark was on her back, as well. She decided to leave it be, and changed quickly, avoiding the mirror. She picked up her uniform, placed it in the laundry bin, and exited, heading back to Kagome.

Kagome, however, had passed out almost immediately, and was asleep on her bed. Sydney smiled slightly, before climbing into her own bed, and closing her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"Sydney, it's time to wake up!" Kagome's voice called Sydney into consciousness, causing her to groan loudly and pull the blankets over her head.

Kagome pursed her lips, staring down at the American girl who was currently hiding from her, and sighed.

"You know, I was really hoping you'd be a morning person. Guess I'm not that lucky." She mourned, stepping closer to the bed and reaching across, stealing the blanket off of Sydney.

Sydney slowly pushed herself up to look at Kagome, glaring fiercely, before collapsing back into the bed.

"Give me thirty seconds." Sydney mumbled into the bed, and Kagome rolled her eyes, but allowed it, folding the blanket and laying it on the side of the bed, before heading into the bathroom to get ready.

Sydney stretched her body out across the bed, hearing the satisfying crack of her back and her muscles warming up slightly, before standing up and shaking herself around, effectively waking up.

She rubbed her eyes, before heading over to her uniform, which had been cleaned and nicely folded, and left to sit on Kagome's desk. She smiled slightly at it, making a note to thank Mrs. Higurashi later.

She got dressed, and upon seeing that Kagome was still using the bathroom, headed over to the mirror, where she looked at herself for a bit, and began redoing the makeup to cover up her markings. She brushed her hair out, and waited for Kagome to exit the bathroom.

When the two had finally finished getting ready, they grabbed their bags (Kagome had prepared Sydney's for her in advance), and set off for school.

"Kagome…" Sydney whispered, gritting her teeth in a smile as a group of three girls fawned over her hair and eyes, blabbering incessantly, gaining Kagome's attention.

Kagome simply grinned at her, waving away whatever Sydney had planned on complaining about.

"Oh my goodness, how did you get your hair this color? It blends so well!" Eri gushed, caressing a lock of her silver-streaked hair.

"Ahaha, I'm not sure. It just sort of… happened that way." Sydney said simply, her smile fading and her eye beginning to twitch as the trio invaded her personal space.

After school had ended, Kagome had suggested that she introduce Sydney to her three closest friends, and that they go out for a bite to eat.

 _Wrong move._

"So, Sydney, what's school like in America?" Ayumi asked, finally giving Sydney a question not related to her appearance. She had practically cried at the comments made when Yuka had first met her.

" _Wow, Kagome, you weren't kidding! She's really pretty! I mean, gosh, look at her chest!" Yuka squealed, tackling Sydney in a huge hug._

Sydney shivered at the memory, but pulled herself back to the present for Ayumi's question.

"Well, a day at my school goes from eight to two, and the classes are broken up into twenty minute modules, with most classes taking two mods, and some taking three. I'm like fourth in my class, and take mostly Advanced Placement courses, because I like the challenge, and they give me college credit, so I don't have to take as many courses in college!" She explained, trying to think of what they'd be interested in hearing about, and what they wouldn't.

In her home school, she was infamous for being long-winded.

"That sounds weird, but I guess it works! What about outside of school? What do you do for fun?" Yuka asked, and Sydney thought about it for a moment.

"I like being involved, so I do a lot of things. I really love theatre, music, gymnastics, cheerleading, debate, and student council!" She listed, only just beginning to wonder which of those things would be available in Tokyo.

"That's awesome! We'll have to get you involved in some stuff here, too, then. Anyways, our ride is here, so we're going to go, but it was great to meet you, Sydney! See you later, Kagome!" Yuka said, as the three girls stood and began to leave. Sydney and Kagome waved at them as they left, before simultaneously letting out a huge sigh of relief.

"Good god, Kagome, how do you do that?" Sydney asked, and Kagome shrugged.

"They're great in small doses, and they're always there if I need them. I think they'll grow on you. Now, let's talk business." Kagome said, her tone lowering slightly. Sydney raised an eyebrow, but nodded for Kagome to go on.

"Can you teach me gymnastics? I've ALWAYS wanted to learn. It just seems so cool! We can teach each other things! Remember, you wanted me to teach you archery?" She suggested, clasping her hands in front of her.

Sydney giggled a bit, and nodded again.

"Of course! It'll be a lot of work, but I can teach you what I know. It'll be fun!" She agreed, and Kagome squealed in joy.

"Should we head home now?" Sydney proposed, and Kagome stood.

"Sure! Let's go. Afterwards, we can get started on those lessons." She winked, and Sydney chuckled a bit, following Kagome out the door.

As they walked, they discussed their individual schooling and hobbies, and Kagome explained to Sydney her system of balancing her time in the feudal era with her time in the modern era, and Sydney, though slightly baffled, gained an extreme amount of respect for her new family member.

When they got back to the house, Sydney headed upstairs to retrieve her cell phone, and upon turning it on, was immediately met with extremely hostile messages from her mother.

She stared down at the phone, reading through each one, as they got more and more angry and more abusive, and sighed. She dialed her mother's number, and sat, waiting, as the phone rang.

Kagome stepped in then, and dropped her backpack on the floor, falling back onto her bed.

She sat up to talk to Sydney, but was met with tearful eyes, and she could faintly hear the yelling from the phone.

Sydney kept trying to say things, but could only get out bits and pieces, syllables maybe, before her mother cut her off again.

Her tears then began to fall, and Kagome stood up, and took the phone from Sydney's hands, hanging up and turning the phone off, before meeting Sydney in a hug.

Sydney was unresponsive at first, before tightening her hold on Kagome, and sobbing into her shoulder.

"I just- I just don't know what to do. She's so awful to me… I just don't want to have to deal with that." She breathed, sniffling a bit. Kagome hushed her, holding her tightly.

"Don't worry, Sydney. You're here now, you don't have to deal with her. You don't ever have to go back to her, if you don't want to." She assured Sydney, who then pulled away, a look of realization on her face.

"Kagome… you're a genius." She said softly, and Kagome looked at her strangely, as Sydney stood up and began pacing around the room.

"You're absolutely right! I never have to go back to her again! I'm a demon now… I can stay in the feudal era after this year is up! You're a genius!" She marveled, eventually coming back to embrace Kagome in a death-grip. Kagome gingerly removed Sydney from her person, before laughing and heading over to her own bed.

"Yeah. Speaking of that, we should probably head back tomorrow. Let's get your bag packed, and that way we can get going first thing tomorrow!" Kagome declared, and Sydney let out an affirmative 'mhm-hm'.

Sydney went to the bathroom, washed off her makeup, and changed into her pajamas, before returning. She laid her school uniform out on the desk, and packed a few changes of clothes, her cell-phone, some snacks, water, headphones, and a few other things into her bag, before getting into bed. She looked over to Kagome, who had already fallen asleep, and smiled.

She then closed her eyes, and let herself fall into dreams of her new life in the feudal era.

* * *

 **Thanks so much you guys! I tried to make this chapter extra long to make up for the wait, so please, review, review, review, and I hope you all enjoyed!**


	5. Author's Note (Good news!)

Hello, everyone!

First of all, I want to apologize wholeheartedly for the extensive delay in an update on this story. I have everything planned out and am excited to continue, but recently I've been struggling with lots of irritating academics and health problems, so it's been difficult to find writing time. Not to worry, however! I intend to update this week, and get back into the swing of things. The story is far from over!

Thank you all for staying interested, and I hope you enjoy the coming chapters!

3


	6. Enter Tsubaki, The Dark Priestess

**Hello, hello! I have finally returned from the shadows to update this story! I assure you, updates will be more frequent and more consistent in the future, as I'm on the home stretch at school and my health problems are primarily resolved. Hopefully this chapter clarifies at which point in the Inuyasha story Sydney's entered into. Please enjoy chapter 5!**

 **Also, a big thank you to all of those who favorite and follow!**

 **As a brief disclaimer, I own none of the actual Inuyasha characters, objects, etc… I do own my OC's, (Sydney, Michiko, etc..), and anything else I add in myself.**

* * *

" _Yeah. Speaking of that, we should probably head back tomorrow. Let's get your bag packed, and that way we can get going first thing tomorrow!" Kagome declared, and Sydney let out an affirmative 'mhm-hm'._

 _Sydney went to the bathroom, washed off her makeup, and changed into her pajamas, before returning. She laid her school uniform out on the desk, and packed a few changes of clothes, her cell-phone, some snacks, water, headphones, and a few other things into her bag, before getting into bed. She looked over to Kagome, who had already fallen asleep, and smiled._

 _She then closed her eyes, and let herself fall into dreams of her new life in the feudal era._

* * *

A loud beeping sound seemed to reverberate straight through Sydney's ears as she shot upwards, groaning at having been disturbed from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and leered down at her cell phone's alarm, before shutting it off.

"At least one thing hasn't changed about me: I still despise getting up early…" She grumbled, swinging her legs over the bed and glancing around for her companion.

The bed opposite her own was empty, haphazardly made, and Sydney could hear the sounds of idle chatter coming from downstairs. She sighed, realizing that Kagome had awoken earlier and began to prepare for their return to the past.

'Thoughtful of her not to wake me, though.' She thought, dressing herself in the now clean uniform which lay, neatly folded, on her desk. She made a note to thank Mrs. Higurashi later, but for the time being, stepped in front of the mirror to eye her new appearance once again.

As her mixed colored eyes met those of her reflection, her brows scrunched together in mild irritation. She turned her head to the side and ran her fingers over the markings on her cheeks, and twirled the silver streaked hair with her claws, still finding it hard to believe that this was her new body, her new form.

'And that stone…' She remembered, feeling uneasy about not being entirely certain of its whereabouts or what had truly happened with it.

Sydney inhaled and exhaled deeply, shaking such thoughts from her mind, and put on her shoes, before grabbing her backpack and heading downstairs to meet the bickering family, whose voices had begun to ring clearer as she grew closer.

Upon stepping into the view of the others, all went silent, and Kagome beamed a smile Sydney's way.

"Good morning, sleepy head!" She greeted, and Sydney grinned back at her.

"I see you guys are definitely morning people, then?" She chuckled, grabbing a banana from the fruit basket on the counter and munching on it. She glanced over to see Kagome packing a yellow backpack to its limits, and becoming a tad frustrated at the results.

"Oh, yes! Kagome, Sydney can bring some food in her bag too! That way yours isn't so gigantic!" Mrs. Higurashi clapped her hands together, obviously proud at having come up with something. Kagome rolled her eyes, but nodded as Sydney handed her bag to Kagome.

"Oh, Kagome!" Kagome's grandfather called out, rushing into the room. He carried a bottle wrapped up in paper, several charms, and a stack of sutras, and waved them in the air.

"Don't forget the sacred sake and charms! Not to mention these sutras… for your, ahem, friend." He shot a glare in Sydney's direction, who pouted and crossed her arms.

"I'm still the same person, you know…" She mumbled under her breath, looking away. Kagome, sensing her discomfort, chuckled nervously.

"Uh, thanks! I'll pass on those, Gramps! And I promise, you don't need to worry about Sydney." She assured him, and he sighed.

"Are you certain?" He persisted, but was ignored. It was at this point that Sota spoke up.

"Sis, are you going already? You two have only been back for two days!" He asked, leaning over the table to catch his sister's eye.

"Yep: we're late!" She answered quickly, continuing to pack food and books into both hers and Sydney's bags.

"Inuyasha's waiting?" Sota questioned, and Sydney raised an eyebrow at him.

'The kid's got a catch to all these questions, I know it.' She thought, but said nothing.

"Yeah, they all are!" She replied, still not lending her brother her attention.

"I wish I could go to the feudal era, too…" He whined, and Sydney smirked a bit, her suspicions proved true.

"You're such a scaredy cat, though. You wouldn't last five minutes back there." Kagome shot him down, and he pouted, mimicking Sydney's earlier response to Grandpa's comments.

"She's right… You're still so young, Sota!" Mrs. Higurashi added, and Sydney blinked at her.

'He's too young…? That's the only issue here? God, how common is this over here?' She questioned.

"Don't you ever get scared, Sis?" Sota continued, obviously not ready to give up quite yet. However, Sydney could hear the genuine curiosity in his voice, and she listened, as well.

"Yeah, but it's okay. I'm sorta used to it now." Kagome smiled a bit, turning her now filled-to-the-brim yellow backpack so that she could put it on her shoulders. However, as she tried to lift it, she fell backwards a bit.

"Ugh, this weighs a ton!" She admitted, setting the bag down on the table once again. Sydney stepped over to her bag, which wasn't quite as full, but still put up a bit of a fight, and put it on her back.

"Are you sure you can carry all that?" Sota asked, and Kagome looked over at him, before sighing, and opening the bag.

"I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'll just have to leave my textbooks behind…" She admitted, removing the heavy books from the bag.

"I mean, I doubt you'll really have time to study with them anyhow. Seems like a bit of a waste to me." Sydney spoke up, hoping to assuage Kagome's nerves. Kagome smiled a bit at her, and nodded.

"I guess you're right. Well, let's go, then. Wouldn't want Inuyasha getting all antsy." Kagome declared, and they waved to the rest of the Higurashi family before heading out the door and into the shrine.

"All right, you remember how to do this?" Kagome asked, based off of Sydney's anxious expression.

"I mean, sure. I jump in. It's not terribly difficult, I guess." She replied, taking a deep breath and stepping forward.

"I'll go first; see you on the other side!" Kagome remarked, before leaping over and into the well, huge yellow bag in tow.

Sydney watched as she disappeared in a flash of light, and pursed her lips a bit in annoyance.

"Somehow, I don't think I'll ever be used to this." She mumbled, before stepping gingerly up to the edge of the well, and hopping over and in.

* * *

'Kagome's late… she said she'd be back by sundown!' Inuyasha thought, staring out at the sunset, his ears twitching in irritation and anxiousness.

"Kagome's late," Shippo chirped, pulling Inuyasha from his own, admittedly extremely similar train of thought, "Inuyasha, she said she'd be back by sundown!"

Inuyasha glared down at him, before hitting him over the head. Shippo cried out, leaping up and waving his fist in the air.

"WHY ME?!" He exclaimed, and Inuyasha turned his head forward again.

"Gah, save it." He snapped, clenching his fists tighter as he returned to his own thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking about the new friend of Kagome's who'd appeared, Sydney.

'I don't know if she's worth the trouble yet…' He considered, worrying even more, though he'd never admit it out loud. He then made up his mind.

He leapt from the top of the roof the two had been perched upon, and ran in the direction of the Bone Eater's Well, leaving the fox kit behind.

"You creep!" Shippo yelled out at him, before shivering, sensing a very evil aura or presence nearby, that made the fur on his entire body stand on end. Sango walked up to the hut, and looked up at him.

"Do you sense something, too, Shippo?" She asked, very uneasy, as well.

"Yes, but I don't know what it is…" He said, shaking a great deal from this strange feeling.

In the meantime, Inuyasha grew closer to the well, but paused abruptly, sniffing the air around him. His nose crinkled a bit and his eyes narrowed.

"I don't like the smell of that…" He commented, also sensing something strange. He picked up his pace, and continued towards the well.

Further away still, Lady Kaede stopped in her walking, and went on the alert.

"A demon aura…" She gasped, and Miroku stepped up beside her.

"Lady Kaede." He got her attention, and the two shared a glance.

"Miroku." She acknowledged him, and they knew that something was wrong.

"So, you have sensed it too?" He asked, and she nodded, looking forward, at the grass which swayed in the strong wind that had so suddenly began to blow.

"Aye. Evil is lurking nearby. It seems to be slithering across the ground!" She remarked, and the two looked down at the ground, searching for something, anything that might be the cause.

"What is it?" Miroku questioned incredulously, and Kaede merely shook her head.

"I don't know." She admitted, and the winds blew even harder.

"Up, and over!" Kagome said to herself, upon crossing through to the feudal era. The yellow bag was the first to come up and over the edge of the well. Kagome shoved hard to get it to the top, and upon raising herself up, she rested on her elbows to take a breath.

"That was a workout!" She mused, swinging her leg over as well. She heard the sound of something fall to the ground inside the well, and chuckled, noting that Sydney had made it over alright.

"I'll jump out whenever you're ready: as great of a view as this is, I ask that you make it quick." Sydney quipped sarcastically, and Kagome rolled her eyes.

She then flinched and pulled her leg back up, feeling as though something had bit her leg.

"Something bit me!" She exclaimed, and rubbed the sore spot on her ankle. She then grew more nervous, upon realizing that she hadn't seen anything or sensed anything that could have bit her.

'What was it, though?' She asked herself, staring out at the grass, hoping for some sign that she hadn't gone mad. No such luck however, as the grass swayed innocently in the breeze.

'There's nothing here…' She admitted, and turned her head to see Inuyasha land just in front of her.

"What took ya so long?" He demanded, and Kagome's gazed flickered back to the area around them.

Sydney, upon hearing Inuyasha's voice, grew antsy, waiting down in the well, and decided to test out her new, demonic legs. She bent at the knees, and jumped out, landing gracefully (sort of) beside the well. She adjusted the backpack on her shoulders, and nodded at Inuyasha, before glancing back at Kagome, who was staring intensely out at the forest.

"Something bit me… I think it came from over there." She declared, pointing to where she had been staring a moment ago. Sydney blinked, not seeing anything.

"What?" Inuyasha said, rushing over in that direction.

"Kagome, are you sure? I mean, something doesn't feel right, but I don't see anything." Sydney inquired, and Kagome frowned.

"I'm positive; but that's the thing. I didn't see anything either." She gulped, and Sydney looked nervously out to where Inuyasha had run, unsure of what to do.

Meanwhile, as Inuyasha rounded a hill, he saw a huge hulking figure waiting in the shadows, and grinned.

"There it is," He ran at the thing, readying his claws, "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" He shouted, swiping at it, and was shocked when it came apart in his hands as mere paper.

'Paper?' He questioned, staring at the scraps in his hand, and looking around for something else waiting to strike. However, he found nothing, and reluctantly went to return to the others.

Sydney ran her hand over the place on her ankle where Kagome claimed to have been bitten, but found nothing. She sighed, frustrated at having found nothing, and stood up, smelling Inuyasha getting closer. As she turned, he approached, looking confused and flustered.

"What's wrong? Did you find it?" Sydney pressed, and he shrugged, shaking his head.

"There was something strange here… I attacked it, but look." He held out his hand, and there was nothing more than a pile of scraps of paper with odd markings.

* * *

"It's true!" Kagome pleaded, now sitting in Kaede's hut, surrounded by the others.

"But there's no bite mark…" Shippo commented, and Sydney glared at him.

"If Kagome says she was bitten, there is no reason for us not to believe her! Why would she lie?" Sydney argued, baring her fangs a bit. She was getting very frustrated with these people not believing what had happened; yes, perhaps it didn't make sense, but still, Kagome had no reason to lie.

"He's right, though." Sango piped up, and Kagome stared incredulously at her.

"I know, but-" Kagome began, but was cut off by Inuyasha.

"Hmph. There was definitely something strange around." He added, still looking at the pieces of paper.

"Let me look, Inuyasha, at that paper." Kaede demanded, approaching the half-demon with an arm outstretched. Inuyasha didn't argue, and merely placed the scraps into her hand.

"Here." He said, very complacent. Sydney raised an eyebrow at this, surprised to see him so… obedient.

As Kaede examined the paper, Shippo leapt up with a huge grin.

"By the way, Kagome, did you-" He began to beg, before Kagome chuckled and stopped him.

"Don't worry, Shippo, we didn't forget your cookies. Here!" She said, and after rummaging through her bag a bit, handed Shippo a box of cookies.

"Yes! This is the one!" He beamed, beginning to munch on the snacks immediately.

"For you, Inuyasha!" Kagome handed Inuyasha a bag of chips, pulling him out of his staring contest with the paper in Kaede's hand, and he took it, nodding a thanks.

"You're going to love the lunch my mom made! Oh, and Sydney has some in her bag, too." Kagome continued to pull different boxes out of her backpack, and Sydney pulled her own bag of food and things tightly to her, unwilling to give it away.

"This is shikigami." Kaede remarked, seemingly shocked by this revelation.

"Shikigami?" Kagome questioned, before gasping, and seeming to pulse a bit. Sydney rushed to her side, her fur standing on end.

'What was that?! The sacred jewel shards?' Kagome thought, stiffening up immensely.

"What is it, Kagome?" Inuyasha questioned, leaning forward as well.

"What's the matter?" Miroku followed suit, as Sydney remained silent, merely holding Kagome's shoulders and trying to see if there was anything wrong.

Sydney's eyes narrowed, sensing something very wrong. Typically, she knew she would've been more vocal, but somehow she was at a loss for words.

Kagome fumbled through her bag and pulled out the jar of jewel shards, before gasping louder than before.

"The shards have turned black!" She cried, before the jar shattered and the shards flew out, Kagome leaning back in shock as they went into her neck.

"Kagome!" Everyone shouted, and as she collapsed backwards, Sydney caught her in her lap, reaching for the shards. She flinched backwards, however, as the dark energy within them seemed to fight back her very presence. She narrowed her eyes, and reached for the shards once again, her hands glowing faintly.

Kagome shuddered and twitched, and Sydney retracted her hand, now afraid to hurt her friend.

"Damn it!" She growled, hating the feeling of helplessness that came over her.

'These powers ought to be good for something!' She set Kagome on the ground, and stepped away, but her eyes never left the now dull ones of her friend.

"Can you hear me, Kagome?" Inuyasha said loudly, desperately hoping such a simple tactic would work.

"Say something!" Shippo shouted.

"Kagome!" Sango followed suit.

"I highly doubt that yelling at her will work." Sydney snapped, and the others looked at her, slightly shocked at her outburst, but remained quiet.

Miroku turned to Kaede, and asked, praying she would know,"What's the meaning of this, Lady Kaede?"

"That evil we sensed earlier? Someone was placing a curse on Kagome." Kaede responded solemnly, as Kagome breathed heavily on the ground, her eyes struggling to remain open, and beads of sweat falling down her face.

"Someone's cursed her?!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

"I believe the dark priestess is behind this. Kagome was bitten at the well, by the dark priestess's shikigami." She explained, and Inuyasha rose to his feet.

"Dark priestess?" He repeated, alarmed and confused.

"Aye. Inuyasha, you must certainly know of them. This is a wicked priestess who specializes in curses. It was her dark enchantment that turned the jewel shards black." Kaede went on, as the shards seemed to glow even brighter within Kagome's neck.

Sydney leaned down once more, in the hopes that she could get close, but the dark energy fought back even harder this time, and she swore under her breath, stepping back and crossing her arms.

"And now it looks like they've entered Kagome's flesh!" Shippo cried out.

"They have. They're preventing me from getting close, too; there's a very powerful darkness there, and it's repelling me, and seeming to hurt Kagome whenever my energy gets near." Sydney stated, her eyes narrowing at the shards, as if her glare could get them out.

"The poison could kill her unless we do something!" Sango realized, and Miroku stood up, staff in hand.

"Let's go, Sango. Sydney, you ought to come as well, given that she seems to be reacting negatively to your presence. We'll destroy this dark priestess; that's the only way to break the curse." He commanded, turning to leave. Sydney nodded, rising and stepping to join the monk and demon slayer as they went to leave. Inuyasha poked his head up, and began to rise as well.

"Hang on! I'm going with you!" He declared, but dropped back down as Kagome faintly whispered something.

"Inu…yasha…" She called out, and she reached out her hand for him.

"It would be best for you to stay here with Kagome." Miroku concluded.

"You are most needed here, Inuyasha." Kaede added, and Inuyasha nodded.

"Yes, you're right." He admitted, as the trio stepped outside.

Upon exiting the hut, Miroku held out his staff and his hand, and closed his eyes, searching for some sign of the dark priestess. After a few moments of scanning, he held out his staff, and nodded his head firmly.

"I sense evil coming from this direction!" He said, and Sango came flying from overhead on Kilala. Sydney glanced upwards.

"Get on, you two!" Sango called down, and Sydney glanced over at the monk.

"Hold on, and don't try anything funny." She said, grabbing him and leaping up to the demon cat.

As they found their places atop Kilala, with Sango at the front, Miroku behind her, and Sydney behind him, they sped off in the direction from whence the evil was coming, leaving Shippo and Kaede on the ground behind them.

As they flew nearer, Miroku waved his staff in various directions, attempting to feel out this dark power, and the jingling began to irk Sydney more and more.

"It's over there!" He said, and Sydney was grateful for many reasons that they now knew where to go. One, they could save Kagome. Two, no more god damn jingling.

"Good. Let's hurry." Sango remarked, over her shoulder, and Kilala sped up, flying much faster than before.

As they flew, Sydney began to smell something awful, and she shivered.

'This evil… we're getting closer.' She noted, and steeled her nerves.

"The demonic aura is getting stronger." Miroku stated, confirming Sydney's earlier idea.

"Hurry, Kilala!" Sango urged the demon cat, who growled in agreement and flew even faster towards the source of the dark energy.

However, as they flew forward, Sydney's breath hitched at the sight of a huge, shimmering blue dome.

"There it is!" Miroku shouted, and as they flew into it, the dome pushed them back, knocking the trio off of Kilala and to the ground.

Sydney managed to stop her fall by landing on her hands and knees, and glared up at what seemed to be a shield. She glanced around, and saw Miroku and Sango on the ground, but safe, before rushing to the edge of the dome. Sango saw this, and turned to her other companion.

"You alright, Miroku?" She asked, as he groaned and pushed himself to his feet with his staff.

"What the…?" He asked, staring at the blue sheen in confusion.

Sydney stepped closer to the barrier, and reached out her hand to touch it. It fought her, but she could get close. However, she couldn't push through it completely, and she huffed in frustration.

In the midst of her attempts, she couldn't push away the smell of soil and… death? Something was coming closer, but she shoved that to the back of her mind and continued to fight against the barrier.

"Hell… I have no idea how this works, but the exterior can't be this solid!" She snarled, trying to bring forward the power she had used before. Yet, she couldn't completely muster it.

'I was so much stronger when my emotions were flaring, and now I can't do anything!' She thought, becoming even more upset. If there was one thing she despised, it was being powerless.

"Sydney, come back! Maybe we can take it out from above!" Sango called out to her, earning a glare from the dog demon.

"Yes, of course, we saw just how well that worked before." She muttered, but sighed, and stepped away, heading back towards the now-standing Sango, Miroku and Kilala. They climbed onto Kilala's back, and flew up above the dome.

"The barrier here is so strong…" Miroku commented, staring down at the surface of the barrier.

"Meaning the dark priestess must be inside. Looks like we finally found her. Miroku, are we able to break the barrier?" Sango asked, turning to face the monk. Miroku mumbled some chant under his breath, pausing for a moment.

"Kilala, take us down!" He said, and Sydney nodded in agreement.

Kilala charged the barrier, and as they touched its surface, it repelled them with a strong magic, with Miroku pushed his energy in opposition. Though they got very close, it shoved back with a great force and sent the trio flying backwards.

"I hate to admit it, but it's too strong for me." Miroku stated, clenching his teeth. Sydney dug her claws into her palms, before speaking up.

"Let me help. Try again, and I'll jump down and try as well." She piped up, earning a surprised look from Miroku, but he nodded, before Sango looked down and gasped.

"Look down there!" She said, and as Sydney glanced downward, she saw a woman with long, flowing black hair and a red and white outfit very similar to that of Kaede's approaching the barrier.

As the woman stopped, she stared at the barrier for a few moments.

"Kikyo!" Miroku blurted out, and Sydney glanced at him in confusion.

"Why is she here?" Sango questioned.

'I feel it. This demonic aura is sated with evil.' Kikyo thought to herself, looking at the barrier with contempt. She then looked upwards, where she saw Sango, Miroku, and a new demoness atop Kilala.

'Those are Inuyasha's friends! But that woman…' She noted, staring intensely at the new face, whose aura seemed oddly familiar. She then turned back to the barrier, and approached it.

'What could be happening beyond this barrier?' She asked, stepping through it as if it weren't even there.

Sydney gawked down at the woman, now identified as Kikyo, who had effortlessly passed though.

"What the hell?!" She shouted, now very irritated. Overall, nothing seemed to be working out, and yet, this woman, who apparently Sango and Miroku knew, just waltzed right in? Sango and Miroku obviously shared her train of thought, however.

"You see that? She walked right in!" Sango exclaimed.

As the trio stared down incredulously at the barrier, Sango grew more and more upset.

"The enemy is so close, yet out of our reach!" She lamented.

"The priestess's curse is working its evil even as we speak." Miroku added.

"Kagome won't be able to endure it for much longer!" Sango replied, clutching Kilala tighter.

"Breaking through this barrier might be next to impossible…" Miroku conceded, earning a harsh glare from the demoness behind him.

Sydney growled under her breath, "Well, there's got to be something we can do!"

Sango nodded in agreement, "Well it's better than doing nothing, Miroku! Come on, let's go; we'll try this with Sydney's aid."

"Right!" Miroku said, and Sango urged Kilala forward.

As they neared the barrier, Sydney propelled herself off of the demon cat's back, and the two met the barrier simultaneously. Sydney pushed her energy forward, and as she saw the barrier thin out a bit, she worked even harder. Her body began to glow faintly, and the barrier began to recede, but came back full force, as if it realized it was losing and put in a last bit of effort. This, however, was enough, and Sydney fell to the ground as Kilala and the others flew backwards.

Sydney looked up to see Miroku glanced back towards the forest. "Inuyasha! Kagome!" He remarked, and Sydney looked too, and surely enough, their red-cloaked half-demon was rushing towards them, Kagome in tow.

"Kagome!" Sydney echoed, and leapt up to join Sango and Miroku atop Kilala. Kagome looked to be in very rough shape, but held her own nonetheless. Sydney's gaze softened, but she gasped upon seeing Kagome raise her bow.

'She's not strong enough right now!' Sydney worried, but kept her mouth shut, for the fear of disturbing her friend's concentration.

'The dark priestess… she's inside that barrier!' Kagome thought, readying an arrow, "This barrier's coming down!" She said, and Sydney smiled a bit at her continued persistence.

The arrow began to glow, and as Kagome let it fly, it sped towards the barrier with a strong purple hue, and upon making contact, the barrier shattered. Sydney's mouth hung open, amazed at the power within that shot.

"Kagome broke through it!" Miroku stated, staring down at the hut which lay in the center of the clearing.

Inuyasha and Kagome leapt toward it, and Sydney followed suit, jumping down from Kilala once again, leaving the demon slayer and monk to follow.

"Inuyasha! Kagome!" Miroku and Sango called out, landing beside the rest of the group, as Sydney rushed towards Kagome, who still rested upon Inuyasha's back.

"Kagome, oh my god, are you alright?" She fretted, reaching for Kagome.

"I'm alright, it's okay." Kagome replied quietly, and Sydney recoiled once again, seeing that the shards were still within Kagome's neck, and continued to repel her. Before she could speak up, however, Kagome spoke.

"It's inside. I'm sure that the sacred jewel is inside. And so is the dark priestess, the woman who cursed me with her spell" She said, holding tighter to Inuyasha as the wind began to blow ominously, as it had before.

The doors to the hut creaked open, and out stepped a woman with gray hair and a white snake draped about her shoulders, wearing a dark glare.

"Are you the dark priestess?" Inuyasha accused, stepping forward.

"I am known as Tsubaki. Are you Inuyasha, Kikyo's lover?" She spat, earning a snarl from Inuyasha. Sydney glanced over at him, shocked.

'So that woman from before and Inuyasha were lovers?' She realized, and looked over to Kagome, who seemed to shudder at the comment.

"Hey, Tsubaki! What have you done with Kikyo? I know she was in there!" Miroku barked, and Inuyasha's mouth feel open a bit.

'Kikyo?' Inuyasha questioned, confused as to how she fit into all of this.

"Don't deny it, I saw her as well! I saw her coming here!" Sango agreed, gripping her boomerang tightly.

Tsubaki closed her eyes and pursed her lips in amusement, "Hm. That Kikyo. Inuyasha, she came to ask me to spare your life." She purred, eyes flickering with malice.

Kagome wasn't sure how to feel at this revelation, but realized, 'Kikyo still has feelings for Inuyasha…'

Tsubaki, seeing the reactions of the party around her, elected to continue.

"She can't face death, because she loves you, so she borrows the spirits of the dead." She chuckled, her lips curling into a dark smile.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, and stepped forward.

"Miroku, Sango, watch over Kagome." He commanded, and set Kagome on the ground. Sydney looked over at him, and saw him approach the dark priestess, and she followed quietly behind him.

"What's the deal? You seem to know an awful lot about all of us! And you used a foul curse to possess Kagome and make her try and kill me! I bet you've made a pact with Naraku!" He challenged, hand reaching for his blade.

Sydney's eyes widened, recognizing that name from before, with the battle against the bat demons, and from the tales told by Lady Kaede and the rest of the group.

"Ha. And what of it?" Tsubaki sneered, watching as Inuyasha took hold of the Tessaiga and went to draw it.

"Well, I'll tell you 'what of it'! You're going down!" He shouted, rushing at her.

"Tessai-" He began, but was interrupted.

"Draw your sword and Kagome will die!" Tsubaki interjected, stopping Inuyasha in his tracks.

"Pathetic fool. My curse has not yet been broken. As long as I hold the sacred jewel in my hand, Kagome's life belongs to me!" She held out a black, chipped gem in her hand, and it shimmered with a malevolent energy that put goosebumps on Sydney's skin. As she clenched it within her palm, Kagome cried out in pain, and the shards within her flesh glowed intensely.

Tsubaki stared down at the gem, seemingly deep in thought, and Inuyasha snarled at her.

"You dirty, conniving witch…" He growled, and she stepped forward in response.

"I will do anything in order to possess the whole sacred jewel. Inuyasha, you will be the first to perish!" She said, a small grin spreading over her face, and strange scales spread across her right eye, before it began to glow with a red hue, and a demonic aura flew straight out of the eye.

"Look at that!" Kagome whispered, frightened as the demonic spirit chased Inuyasha around the clearing.

"That priestess... she harbors demons inside her body!" Miroku pointed out, and Inuyasha sped up, running from the demon, as he could not take the risk of drawing his sword and having Kagome killed.

As the spirit raced in front of him, Inuyasha stood back, shocked as it took a physical form, that of an enormous fox demon with many tails, which growled down at him. Inuyasha steeled himself, and leapt up, using only his claws as a weapon, but he was pushed back by the strong demonic power.

"Don't draw your sword, Inuyasha, or I shall curse Kagome to death." Tsubaki warned, before breaking into a loud, long, laugh.

"Fight your pathetic battle, and die at the hands of my demon!" She cackled, and Inuyasha brought his hand away from the hilt of his blade.

As this occurred, Sydney stood, frozen, in the background, questioning a strange feeling welling up within her. She could not tell if this was her own demonic power, or that of the stone, but it was begging to be released.

Sydney's glaze flickered over at the weakened Kagome, and she clenched her teeth in frustration.

'If I fight, how can I be sure that I won't hurt Kagome?' She questioned herself, digging her claws into her hands, deep enough to draw blood.

'I can't take this anymore… I have to do something about this curse!' Kagome thought, running her fingers over the shards in her neck, struggling to maintain her control.

"The dark priestess has rendered Inuyasha virtually helpless!" Miroku said, watching the standoff between the demon and Inuyasha.

"But what can we do about it?" Sango added, a hand on Kagome's back to steady her.

"Waste that demon, Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out, hoping to push Inuyasha forward in his attempt.

Sydney heard this too, and shook her head, clearing her head of these doubts. She knew that Inuyasha was struggling, and he couldn't even land a hit on the demon.

Inuyasha, shocked, turned to Kagome, and Tsubaki cackled once again.

"Kill him, my precious demon!" She commanded, and the fox demon went on the offensive, forcing Inuyasha to dodge. He tried to attack, but the demon pushed him back with a powerful surge of energy, knocking him to the ground.

Kagome watched, extremely worried, with the others, while Sydney contemplated her next move.

Tsubaki leered out at the battle playing before her, and smiled wickedly.

'Without your sword, you are helpless. Now, Inuyasha, you will become fodder for my demon!' She laughed, watching as her demon lunged for Inuyasha once again.

However, thick vines shot out at the demon, and knocked it off balance, as it snarled and tried to bite at them. They restrained its legs, and Tsubaki cried out in anger, searching for the source, and finding it in Sydney, who stood, a hand extended, controlling her powers the best that she could.

She struggled to restrict the demon, and managed to succeed enough for Inuyasha to catch his breath.

"Inuyasha! Strike now!" She yelled, bringing more vines to grab the demon around its neck.

Inuyasha stared in awe, but quickly shook out of it and charged, managing to scratch the demon across it's chest, earning a loud roar of pain. The demon then surged with energy, knocking Sydney's constricting vines away and turning to face her.

Sydney leapt upwards and over the demon as it charged, and she landed on its back, latching on to the fur and trying to conjure the flames from before. Her hands grew warm, and the demon tried to bite at her, managing to knock her from its back, as the flames caught, and it began to burn.

Sydney landed on the ground with a cry of pain, and looked up as Inuyasha jumped in to stop the demon from hurting her further.

"Who are you?! Why have you interfered?" Tsubaki screeched, confused by the appearance of the dog demoness.

"Your worst nightmare…" Sydney attempted to intimidate the woman, but as she rose to her feet, she was forced to roll aside and avoid the claws of the demon once again.

"Hmph. No matter. You will perish just as he will!" Tsubaki shouted, as Inuyasha was struck across the stomach by the demon. He fell to the ground beside Sydney, and clutched at the wound as it bled, snarling at his opponent.

"Inuyasha! Sydney!" Miroku called out, seeing the two being overcome.

"Hahaha, now do you understand? Your measures are all in vain. Surrender, and find a new home inside my demon's belly." Tsubaki taunted, maintaining her hold on the corrupted jewel. Sydney glared at the damnable thing, and considered another tactic.

"You bitch, you are the one who fails to understand; you lack true power. Your only power lies in the jewel, given to you by Naraku! Without it, you're nothing! If you were not given that power, you'd be lying dead on the ground, with your damn snake wrapped around your neck!" Sydney hissed, attempting to bide time for Inuyasha, upon noting the extent of his injuries.

Inuyasha caught on quickly, and smirked up at the witch.

"So what if I can't use the Tessaiga? I only need one arm to take out that repulsive demon!" He boasted, cracking his knuckles on the bloodied hand.

Tsubaki's eyes widened, and she snarled at the duo.

"Hold your tongue!" She snapped, and the demon lunged at them. Inuyasha leapt upwards, sending his blades of blood flying towards its face, and Sydney rolled to the side, rushing at the demon's legs, her claws beginning to glow with poison as she tore a piece of its leg apart.

Inuyasha's attack struck the demon in its eye, and it roared furiously, raising it's now burnt leg in anger and rage as it fell to the ground, half-blind.

Tsubaki looked momentarily alarmed, but regained her compose within seconds as Inuyasha and Sydney looked smugly up at her.

"Don't be so sure of yourself." She warned with faux sincerity, clutching the jewel and causing Kagome to cry out in pain again.

"Kagome!" Everyone looked to the girl, helpless and in pain, and Sydney's eyes began to flood with red.

"Why you…" Inuyasha stalked towards the witch, but stopped as she held out the jewel again.

"Do not forget, I hold Kagome's very life in my hands." She reminded them, as the demon miraculously healed itself, both its eye and its leg, and stood up again, roaring with renewed vigor at its attackers.

'Damn… what are we gonna do?' Inuyasha thought, standing completely still and unsure of his next move.

Sydney struggled to maintain her compose, becoming more and more aware of Kagome's current state, and the red left her eyes as she realized that there was nothing she could do yet.

"Are you alright? Are you in pain, Kagome?" Sango asked desperately, holding Kagome in her arms as the shards glowed black and caused her more pain.

"Yeah, but I'm fine, Sango… don't worry about me." Kagome responded weakly, shutting her eyes and cringing at the darkness that was striking out at her. Sango glanced over at Miroku, concern evident on her face.

"Come on, Miroku; we have to help the others. Kagome won't be able to last for very long!" She suggested, but Miroku stopped her.

"Hold on… I believe Tsubaki intends to kill Kagome whether he wins or loses this battle." He commented.

"You mean-" Sango began.

"Right. Our only hope is to try and find a way to break Tsubaki's curse. Either we destroy Tsubaki, or we kill Shikigami, her demon puppet." Miroku finished, his eyes back on the witch, who watched the battle from the steps of her hut.

"Wait a minute... remember just before Kagome fell ill? She said she'd been bitten at the well!" Sango realized, turning to face Tsubaki and the battle.

"Exactly. It was more than likely that demon serpent. I'm almost sure of it. Back me up, Sango!" He said, before charging into the fray. Sango, still holding Kagome, sat up, and gingerly placed the girl on the ground.

"You can count on it!" She assured him, and he moved faster. Sango threw her Hiraikotsu at the demon as Miroku ran around it, throwing several sutras at Tsubaki herself.

Tsubaki faced him, and smirked, "Exorcism sutras? They have no effect on me!"

She swiped the sutras away, and as her snake's eyes glowed red, they burst into flames. Miroku fell still, shocked at this, and merely stared for a moment.

"Fool! My curse cannot be broken!" She countered, and the demon swept at Miroku with one paw, knocking him to the ground, where Inuyasha managed to pull him out of the way of another hit.

"You seem to enjoy pain. Just remember, the longer you resist me, the longer her suffering will be prolonged." Tsubaki remarked, and Sydney looked over to Kagome, back in Sango's arms, who seemed to be in more pain than before.

"It would be so easy to end. Shall I send Kagome to her demise this very instant?" Tsubaki asked, feigning care, and clenched the jewel in her palm again, hurting Kagome even further, and seeming to knock her unconscious.

"Kagome? Kagome, you've got to be strong! Kagome, say something!" Sango pleaded, shaking her a bit. However, there was no response.

Inuyasha continued to dodge around the demon's attacks, and Sydney tried to restrain it, but it wasn't so easily caught this time. She managed to leave more burns on it's flesh, but it seemed completely oblivious to her.

"Burn!" She screamed sending a wave of fire at the beast, and it roared in anger, but its assault persisted.

As she heard Kagome cry out again, Sydney leapt backwards, getting a look at her, and saw her mumbling things, and clutching her neck again.

"Come on, Kagome! Fight it!" She urged, before rushing back into the fray.

"Inu…yasha…" Kagome whispered, pain evident on her face, before she opened her eyes wide, and determination shone within them.

"Inuyasha!" She called out, seeing the demon attempt to strike him with its tails, and Inuyasha dodging every move. Sydney stood back, now trying to use the vines as whips, her control improving, but still lacking the power to do any real damage. Inuyasha was finally caught by one of the swipes, and hit the ground with a loud cry, skidding backwards across the grass and landing on his back.

"Inuyasha! Hang in there!" Sydney screamed, and saw the demon go for another attack. However before she could reach the demon, a pink, glowing arrow flew just past its face, and struck very near to Tsubaki.

Sydney looked over in awe, and saw Kagome, struggling to hold her bow and breathing heavily.

"Kagome!" She shouted, and moved quickly to pull Inuyasha to safety, dragging him to the forest's edge, where he climbed to his feet.

"Wench! Why are you still able to move?" Tsubaki cried, her calm façade beginning to crack.

"Well, I can! Maybe you're not concentrating hard enough!" Kagome shot back, causing Tsubaki to grimace.

"Well, you've certainly managed to endure my spell. So it would seem that you truly are Kikyo's reincarnation after all. Although, if you actually were the real Kikyo, that arrow most certainly wouldn't have missed me. Meaning, you're an imitation Kikyo." Tsubaki mocked Kagome, a smirk spreading across her features as Kagome notched another arrow.

"You'll regret that! I'm Kagome, and I'm not anyone else!" Kagome snapped, shooting another arrow, which this time struck just in front of Tsubaki's feet, causing the witch to grin.

"You are foolish. Rushing to your death." Tsubaki spoke, holding out the jewel and allowing her snake Shikigami to drip its poison onto the surface.

Kagome clutched at her neck as the pain doubled, no tripled, and she fell forward, losing the power she had just held.

"Kagome!" The group all rushed forward, and Sydney pushed ahead, ignoring the repelling forces of the stone and the jewel shards, as Tsubuaki's fox demon leapt at the defenseless Kagome.

"You will not touch her!" Sydney snarled, covering Kagome with her body. As the demon came closer, Sydney began to pulse, and then a huge white light shone brightly, and the demon roared as it was pushed backwards. Finally, the light shoved the demon away, and Sydney, continuing to glow, glared up at it.

Inuyasha leapt over, moving the group, and Sydney rose to her feet as he picked up Kagome and carried her to a safer spot.

'She won't last much longer…' He worried, but pushed that thought away.

Sydney turned to face the demon, which now was rearing back to attack once more, and she smirked with a newfound confidence.

'The stone is protecting me… it's serving my wishes…' She realized, and her grin spread even wider.

"Tsubaki, your pet is truly pathetic." She taunted, and raised her arm, sending a wave of fire for the demon. The beast yelped as its fur began to burn, and Sydney gestured again, as the vines returned and latched on to its neck and paws, preventing it from putting out the flames.

Sydney looked back at Kagome and Inuyasha, and her smile fell, as she saw the poor girl suffering even more.

"Kagome, just be strong a bit longer!" Inuyasha begged, setting her down on the ground.

"Yeah... sure… I can hang on a while…" She spoke softly, her eyes closed and her face glistening with sweat.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said, getting more and more worried.

However, at this point, Tsubaki had become sick of the games.

"I've had enough of you two! My demon, ignore the bitch, attack Inuyasha and Kagome!" She shrieked, and the demon sent forth a surge of energy, enough to break the vines and put out the flames, as it leapt for the embracing couple, heading over Sydney and straight for Inuyasha.

Before Sydney could react, Inuyasha had turned to face the beast.

"I'll never let you kill her! Now you'd better stay out of my way!" He shouted, running the demon straight through, and heading for Tsubaki, slicing the head off of her demon serpent.

"Well done, Inuyasha!" Miroku caught the head on the ground with his staff, and watched as it faded into smoke.

"One down…" He said, now looking up to the standoff between Tsubaki and Inuyasha.

"Sorry about your serpent, Tsubaki." Inuyasha rose to his feet, and glared at the witch, who still wore the headless body of her snake about her body.

"You're naïve: do you honestly think the curse has been broken?" She chuckled, and Inuyasha stared in shock.

"What?" He and Miroku glanced over to Kagome, who, sure enough, still lay on the ground, in pain.

"The curse still holds, you fool." Tsubaki drawled, and Sango grasped onto Kagome tighter, 'She's not recovering, even though the Shikigami was destroyed!"

"The girl will die. Oh yes, and the rest of you." Tsubaki grinned, and the markings on her eye reappeared, this time glowing with a blue light, releasing an entire horde of demons that set out for the group.

"She had more demons inside her!" Miroku exclaimed, and Inuyasha charged for them.

"Damn that witch to hell!" Inuyasha yelled, using his claws once again.

"Eugh. Nasty." Sydney shivered, disgusted by the display, but readied herself, and pushed back a few demons that had gone for her.

Sango stood as well, and approached the fight, before turning to Kilala, "Kilala. Stay here and protect Kagome."

She sent her boomerang flying at the demons, and took out a group of them, as Miroku attacked many with his staff. The entire group continued to fight, but didn't seem to make a dent in their numbers.

"There are too many of them! This could go on forever!" Sydney grumbled, flustered and beginning to tire. However, her hair stood on end, and she felt it: the Shikigami was moving again, this time very quickly towards Kagome.

"Shikigami!" Miroku noted the same thing, but it continued.

"Damn it, these demons were just a diversion!" Inuyasha recognized, and stopped fighting.

"Correct! But now, it's far too late! Shikigami, bite off that woman's head and get the sacred jewel shards from her!" Tsubaki commanded, and Inuyasha ran for the snake.

'Damn it, I won't make it to her in time!' He admitted, but continued to try.

Kagome looked up at the approaching threat, and gripped onto the bow, pushing herself upwards.

"Not this time, Scaley! You bit me by the well, you won't get me again!" She spat, channeling her spiritual powers into the weapon.

"No chance; this time, victory is mine!" She shouted, swiping and hitting the serpent with the now-glowing bow, knocking it away from her just as it lunged for her neck, and sending it flying back into Tsubaki's eye.

As Tsubaki fell backwards, the entire group stared, shocked at what had just transpired.

"She threw the serpent at her!" Miroku said, and Tsubaki's eyes widened even further.

'She sent my curse back to me! Just as Kikyo did! Just like the last time!' Tsubaki marveled, seeing the events of fifty years ago replaying, clear as day, in her mind, when Kikyo cursed Tsubaki with her own spell after the dark priestess tried to steal the sacred jewel.

'Why must I be done in by that young witch?!' She pleaded, the marking on her face spreading even further, and falling to the floor, dropping the sacred jewel.

As it rolled away from her, she shot upwards in alarm, seeing the corruption fade from its surface, and it purified itself, along with the shards in Kagome's neck, which removed themselves and fell to the ground.

"The shards have come out!" Sango remarked, and Tsubaki snarled, crawling forward for the jewel and snatching it up in her hands.

"It can't be… why, you!" She screamed, before being gathered up by the horde of demons and carried away.

"You can't escape!" Sydney screamed, sending a wave of flames at the demons, in the hopes of delaying them.

"She's getting away!" Miroku pointed out, and Inuyasha drew the Tessaiga, immensely relieved at having no further combative restrictions, and leapt forward.

"Not from me! I'm not finished with you yet!" He replied, and struck his blade against the ground, sending the wind scar at the demons, destroying most of them in a flash of light.

"No! NO!" Tsubaki cried, but two of the demons survived, and continued to carry her to safety as Inuyasha sheathed his sword. Sydney ran to him, and clenched her fists tightly, trying to decide whether to pursue the witch or not, before Inuyasha sighed, and she blinked at him.

"Damn. She got away…" He muttered, before turning and seeing Kagome on the ground, and rushing to her side. Sydney looked up into the sky, searching for any sign of the dark priestess, but upon seeing nothing, returned to Kagome as well.

Inuyasha now held Kagome in his arms, as her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him.

"Inu… yasha?" She said softly, and she smiled.

Sydney, observing all of this, let her lips turn up in a smile as well.

'I do believe that they are in love…' She thought, and couldn't help but wonder how they didn't realize it yet.

* * *

"So is that it? You intend to let her leave with your sacred jewel?" Kagura asked, extraordinarily confused at Naraku's actions thus far.

"Of course not. I'll soon get it back. Besides…" Naraku drawled, a small grin finding its way across his face.

"Besides what?" Kagure pressed, not understanding yet what he was planning.

"We must give the dark priestess the opportunity to seek her revenge." He continued, and Kagura scoffed.

"How very kind and considerate of you." She quipped, and he chuckled in response.

"In addition, I'm interested to see more of this interesting new player in our game." He finished, and Kagura raised an eyebrow at him.

"You mean the dog?" She inquired, recalling the strange powers of this newly entered dog demoness.

"Indeed. I've a feeling she'll prove quite entertaining." Naraku purred, sending a shiver down Kagura's spine. As she looked down at his face, with its awful smile, Kagura knew that he was planning something, and that it wouldn't be pretty.

* * *

"Kagome must be so tired." Sango muttered, as the group entered the village once again. Miroku, walking beside her, shrugged.

"You can't blame her. She was under a spell for so long!" He added, and Sango nodded, as they looked over at Inuyasha, who was still carrying Kagome.

Sydney walked beside Kagome, and her gaze hadn't left her face since they'd began heading back.

Despite the danger being gone for the time being, something just didn't seem right to Sydney. She tried her best to push the feeling aside, however, as they entered the village.

"Inuyasha! Kagome! Over here!" Shippo shouted, and raced down from the hill to greet the returning group.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome… This only happened because you're with me." Inuyasha said, his face solemn.

Kagome let a smile spread across her features, and shook her head, "It's alright."

Inuyasha paused, confused, as she continued, "I'm with you. By choice."

"Kagome…" Inuyasha smiled, too, and as they continued walking, Sydney fell behind a bit, a blush on her cheeks.

'They're so damn cute.' She noted. 'God, I wish I had someone like that.'

As the group moved forward, Sydney looked up to the sky dreamily, and closed her eyes, realizing that maybe, things wouldn't be so bad in this time.

* * *

 **Thank you everyone, for reading chapter five! I hope you enjoyed, and once again, I apologize for the delay in updates! Expect me to be less awful in the future. But please, review, review, review so I know how to improve and make this better! I appreciate you all 3**


	7. The Struggle Against the Ogre-Priestess

**Hello, all! Welcome to chapter six, and I hope you're enjoying the story thus far! Also, quickly, I'd like to let you guys know that soon we'll be moving into lots of original content, and much less of canon with Sydney inserted; I just needed some fun exposition and whatnot ^_^**

 **In addition, a huge thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! It keeps me motivated, and helps improve this piece of work! Enjoy this chapter, and next chapter, we finally see more of Sesshomaru! 3**

 **Typical disclaimer; I own nothing besides my OCs (Sydney, Michiko, and others to appear eventually).**

* * *

" _I'm so sorry, Kagome… This only happened because you're with me." Inuyasha said, his face solemn._

 _Kagome let a smile spread across her features, and shook her head, "It's alright."_

 _Inuyasha paused, confused, as she continued, "I'm with you. By choice."_

" _Kagome…" Inuyasha smiled, too, and as they continued walking, Sydney fell behind a bit, a blush on her cheeks._

' _They're so damn cute.' She noted. 'God, I wish I had someone like that.'_

 _As the group moved forward, Sydney looked up to the sky dreamily, and closed her eyes, realizing that maybe, things wouldn't be so bad in this time._

* * *

The fire crackled, flickering dark shadows along the walls of Lady Kaede's hut, and Sydney's eyes twitched slightly, before opening a crack. She rolled over slightly from her position near the wall, and scanned over the group; everyone lie, sleeping, save Kagome.

Having been previously fast asleep, but a light sleeper, Sydney furrowed her brows as Kagome sat up, looking to be deep in thought. As Kagome's eyes passed over her, she quickly pretended to sleep again.

Nothing had felt right, even since they had arrived back at the village after the day's struggles; Tsubaki was still a threat, and the jewel was still lost. Even Sydney, with her limited knowledge of the power of the jewel, recognized that they could not be truly at peace until it was recovered.

 _I just don't understand… we should've been able to get it back…_ She thought, clenching her fists tightly.

Reflecting back on the horrific events, Sydney fought to suppress a shiver, considering the ordeal that Kagome had endured, and how close they were to losing her forever.

 _No. Kagome has been unbelievably kind to me, and welcomed me here with open arms. I will not let any harm come to her, no matter what._

Resolved, she rolled back over, so that she was facing the wall, and sighed, before being interrupted once again.

"Hey. Are you feeling alright?" Inuyasha's voice brought her out of her thoughts, and prevented her from falling back asleep. She knew he must've seen that Kagome was awake, and pursed her lips in irritation at their rest being over.

She had always loved to sleep, and being a dog demon in feudal era Japan changed nothing about that.

"Yes, I'm okay now." Kagome responded softly, gaining the attention of the entire group.

"Kagome!"

"You're awake, Kagome!"

"Feeling better?"

"Kagome!"

As various members of the party all realized their friend's consciousness, Sydney chuckled a bit, before sitting up and running her fingers through her hair, resolving not to add to the pressure and awkwardness that Kagome must've been feeling. Sydney could just imagine her oncoming response at the attention she was receiving.

"Look, I'm alright everyone, I'm just fine!"

There it was. Sydney crawled closer to Kagome and caught her in a bear hug, causing her to let out a little laugh, and Sydney grinned widely.

"Jesus, guys, give the girl a break. As lovely as your voices sound in the morning, I'd give it a rest. But, Kagome, I'm glad you're doing better." She said, smirking at the group, but minding her volume; coming out of a curse had to have given her a monstrous headache, at least.

This comment earned a collective roll of the eyes from everyone, and Sydney snickered a bit.

As Kaede prepared some soup for breakfast, Sydney released her hold on Kagome and settled comfortably beside her, taking to braiding the long, dark hair that flowed down her shoulders.

Sydney had always found this to be relaxing for both parties, and figured it might help.

"Was the dark priestess that cursed ye named Tsubaki? Fifty years ago, there was a priestess by that name who was equal in status to Kikyo." Kaede began, filling bowls with the soup and handing them to each person. Sydney sipped hers quietly, enjoying the food (as she always did), as Sango tilted her head in confusion.

"Why did she become an evil priestess?"

"That I do not know. Perhaps she merely shares the same name with one."

As Kaede finished, an uneasy look on her face, Kagome gasped, and sat up straight, eyes flickering towards the door. Inuyasha reacted immediately, moving towards her.

"What's the matter?"

Kagome turned her eyes to the fire; "I sense the presence of the sacred jewel."

"Are you sure about that, Kagome?" Miroku questioned, leaning in to meet her gaze, and failing.

"Yes. I can feel it clearly." She responded, tone solemn, and eyes downcast.

"It's a huge shard, that's why!" Shippo piped up, and Inuyasha leapt to his feet.

"Which way is it?"

Before he could run off, Sydney stood as well, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on there, big boy; let's take a minute to think this out. Kagome has just been absolutely exhausted, and we have to be more cautious with this one." She warned, and Inuyasha, thought smarting a bit, nodded reluctantly, shaking her hand off of him.

"Sydney, it's truly fine; this is more important, and I'm completely fine. Let's go outside." Kagome stepped forward and outside the door, leaving Sydney to roll her eyes and cross her arms in disagreement, but follow nevertheless.

As Kagome headed outside, she paused, and pointed to the east.

"It's that way."

The group let their gaze follow her lead, and Miroku spoke up, reminding the group of the obvious.

"We'll have to go after it."

"Correct; we mustn't pass up the chance to get a sacred jewel shard back." Kaede agreed, which earned a surprised glance from Sydney, a grimace from Inuyasha, and a wide open mouth from Kagome.

Kaede stepped towards the party, leading a horse which carried her bow and arrows, and looked determined.

"What are you doing, Kaede? Don't tell me you're coming with us!" Inuyasha whined, and Kaede huffed at him.

"She is a dark priestess after all, so I thought I, as a priestess, should accompany you." She explained, earning a scoff from Inuyasha.

"Doesn't 'priestess' bring someone young to mind?" He snapped, and Kaede closed her eyes, sighing.

"Kagome."

Kagome eagerly nodded, clasped her hands in front of her, and said cheerfully, "Inuyasha; sit, boy."

As he went crashing to the ground, Sydney, who had been silent for a few moment burst out laughing, almost falling down herself.

"I will NEVER get bored of that!" She snickered, and Inuyasha growled up at her.

"Such an impudent fellow." Kaede said, and everyone nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

As she got up on her horse, Miroku and Sango mounted Kilala, and Kagome went to get Inuyasha off of the ground.

"Onward we go!" Kaede proudly announced, and galloped off, taking the leading.

"Kilala!" Sango and Miroku followed from the air, closely behind.

Sydney waited a moment, glancing backwards at Kagome and Inuyasha.

"Come on, Inuyasha." Kagome said cheerfully, and earned herself a snarl in response.

"Why, you…" He grumbled, and Kagome merely climbed onto his back.

"That way!" She pointed, and he jumped off, and as the dust cleared from his escape, Shippo leapt up, running for the group.

"Hey, wait up!" He cried, and Sydney swooped in, picking up the fox kit.

"Don't worry, Shippo, I've gotcha. Let's not get left behind, eh?" She chuckled, and Shippo grinned widely at her, nodding enthusiastically. Sydney took off in the same direction as the others, tapping into the demonic speed she now had at her disposal; luckily, running fast wasn't something she had to learn, she could simply do it, without having to worry about controlling anything.

As she moved, picking up pace, Shippo marveled at her speed.

"Wow, Sydney! You move faster than Inuyasha or Kilala ever have!" He gushed, his fur flowing in the wind. Sydney glanced down at him, extremely proud, but sputtered and darted out of the way to avoid hitting a tree she was heading straight towards, reminding herself to not lose concentration while moving at this speed.

 _If only the rest of my abilities were this easy to learn… damn, I hate not knowing what I'm capable of!_ She thought to herself, her brows furrowing in annoyance, as she found herself side by side with Inuyasha, and eventually overtaking him.

She was pulled from her thoughts however, by a sharp jolt to her chest, and she gasped. It felt odd, like another energy was pushing against her, and she didn't like it at all. Scanning the area, she saw a strange perimeter of paper set up around the nearby forest.

As the rest of the group caught up, Kilala landed and reverted to her small cat form, and everyone stared, bewildered by the strange construction.

"Huh? What is that thing?" Inuyasha clenched his fist in annoyance, but paused, feeling the same pressure to stay back as Sydney had.

As Kaede arrived, her horse neighing and trotting forward, Kaede recognized the obstacle.

"A barrier! We priestesses put up such talismans to prevent demons from entering."

"Do you think this is Tsubaki's doing?" Miroku asked, looking to the old woman as she hopped off of her horse to approach the barrier.

"I sense the sacred jewel beyond this barrier." Kagome said, and Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, stepping forward.

"Damn… I'm gonna tear this stupid barrier apart!" He growled, before being shoved backward by a blast of energy as he stepped on a talisman.

"OW! What is this?!" He snapped, and Shippo inched towards it, reaching to touch it as well.

As his finger made contact with the paper, he was shocked as well, and yelped in pain.

Kagome winced at the sight, and Sydney sighed. _Kids never learn, do they?_

"Let me take a crack at it." Sydney wearily approached the circle of paper, and held out a hand, willing several roots to come out from the ground and move towards the barrier. Yet, as they made contact with it, they jerked back, and fell to the ground, lifeless.

Sydney grimaced, and crossed her arms. "Damn. I was hoping that might work."

"Your abilities are laced with your demonic aura, so despite not being demonic in origin, the barrier will repel you, as well." Kaede responded, and Sydney huffed, returning to Kagome's side.

"This is no time for messing around! This is obviously a barrier to ward away demons-" Miroku started, but Sydney cut him off.

"Yes, thank you, very astute. But how do we get rid of it?" She rolled her eyes, tired of sitting around and talking about the issue. Miroku eyed her for a moment, and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. As I was saying, you should all stay back and let Kaede and I dismantle it." He finished, and Kaede nodded in agreement.

"You've arrived, demon! We've been waiting!" A high-pitched, very young voice broke into their conversation, and the group turned to see two girls, maybe fourteen, leap out from behind some rocks. One was in blue, with blue hair, and the other wore red, with shorter hair than her companion. They wielded two sticks, apparently meant to be staves, and stood, battle-ready.

"Are you Inuyasha, the demon who seeks to destroy priestess Tsubaki?" The one in red asked, narrowing her eyes.

Inuyasha merely raised an eyebrow. "What? You're both on Tsubaki's side?" He countered, ignoring their question.

"Priestess Tsubaki is a sister disciple! Of course we're her allies!" The girls shot back, as if the answer were obvious. Inuyasha once again cracked his knuckles and readied his claws.

"So you're dark priestesses? I won't spare you either, then." He snapped, earning an incredulous look from the priestesses.

"Ugh, dark priestess?"

"How dare you insult us!"

As they shouted back at the hanyou, Sydney rolled her eyes, stepping up to join him, and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"No, Inuyasha, I don't think they're evil. Just stupid." She deadpanned, and the priestesses gasped in offense.

"You're not dark priestesses?" Inuyasha asked again, and Sydney could've fallen to the ground.

 _Good god, how long are we going to stand her playing twenty questions?!_

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous! I am Momiji!"

"And I am Botan!"

"We are priestesses who have trained hard in the art of slaying demons!

"Don't even mention us in the same breath as a dark priestess!"

As the girls struck strange poses and overall continued with their theatrics, Kagome shrugged.

"They don't really look like bad people."

Sango turned to the rest in confusion, a hand on her hiraikotsu, but loose.

"So they're not Tsubaki's helpers?" She inquired, and Miroku stepped forward.

"Slow down, and hold on a minute, you two." He said, raising a hand to calm the antsy teens.

"Silence! Your appearance tells me that you are a monk! And you a demon slayer! And as for you…" Momiji pointed to each member of the party, but faltered when she reached Sydney and Kagome.

The two then crouched and seemed to huddle together, muttering to each other.

"Look at those clothes! And what about her ears? And markings? I sense spiritual and demonic powers… Agreed!" They then shot back up, and dramatically made eye contact with the group once again.

"Is anyone else extremely tired of this? No? REALLY?" Sydney turned to Kagome and Inuyasha, but was ignored.

"You're a priestess, and you're a demon!" They announced, and Sydney pressed her hands to her temples.

"Wonderful job. Yes. Truly great. You really figured it out. Absolutely incredible."

Kagome nodded slightly, blushing. "Well, I guess you could say that!" She responded.

The priestesses looked to each other and cheered, before sharply returning to pointing at the group.

"You, priestess! Why do you collaborate with demons such as these!" Botan pointed to Inuyasha, Sydney, Shippo and Kaede, and the latter became quite agitated.

"So I am getting herded with the demons?"

Shippo leapt up, and joined the conversation; "We haven't done any harm to you, or anyone else!"

The girls then gasped, obviously having not paid much attention to the fox kit previously, and huddled again. Sydney wasn't sure whether to be grateful or miserable at being able to hear them with her new senses, but wasn't too thrilled.

"Isn't that little fox adorable?"

"Absolutely charming!"

As they glanced back and noticed Kilala, as well, they gushed even more.

"That one's cute too!"

"What'll we do?!"

"What indeed!"

As they continued their dialogue, Kagome took the opportunity to bring attention back to the matter at hand.

"Now what, guys? They don't seem very harmful to me." Kagome commented, and Inuyasha huffed at her.

"We're just going to have to win them over, that's all. Hello there, ladies!" Miroku attempted to bring the girls out of their discussion, and they immediately returned and pointed again.

Sydney growled, her eye twitching slightly, and plopped down to the ground.

"This is more of a performance than anything else and frankly, the acting is terrible, and this could use more variety. I say next time, we see a different show." She grumbled, and laid back, closing her eyes.

"I get it!" They shouted, although with their high-pitched voices, it was more of a shriek. Sydney groaned and sat up again, resting her head on her hands.

"You demon! You've disguised your appearance!" Momiji accused Shippo, who looked to each side, very confused. He attempted to shuffle to each side, and their gaze (and fingers) followed him.

"By changing your disgusting looks, you may have deceived some poor fools, but you're not gonna deceive us!"

"Your appearance cannot trick us!"

Shippo cried out, extremely baffled and mildly offended. "Who, me?! I'm innocent!"

"Stop acting so scared, Shippo! If they insist on interfering, we'll just have to use force!" Inuyasha spat, moving to draw Tessaiga, and Shippo snapped out of his stupor.

Sydney chuckled, and pushed herself to her feet, stretching her hands upwards and yawning.

"Finally, we're getting somewhere! I mean, I don't like fighting, but it's better than listening to this melodrama."

"Chill out, guys!" Kagome said, waving Inuyasha to leave the blade sheathed, and Sydney crossed her arms.

"I'm sure we can talk this out." Sango assured her, but the priestess saw Inuyasha's move, and responded swiftly.

"Time to take action!" Momiji began, putting her hands into a strange formation.

"I agree with you completely!" Botan affirmed, and the girl readied her staff.

Within a moment however, Miroku appeared behind them and tapped them on the shoulder. "Now, now, ladies."

The girls cringed and gasped, and Kagome stared incredulously at the sight in front of them.

"Miroku!"

"When did you- how did you?" The girls stuttered, confused as to how he got behind them, but the monk simply waved away their concerns.

"Now, if you'll allow me, I can explain exactly what we're doing with those demons over there. You see, it all originated with the sacred jewel; the demons coveted the power it held." Although Miroku began his story strong, his hands found their way to the girls' backsides, and they slapped him to the ground.

"Yikes. He started off so good, too." Sydney snickered, as the monk sat, ashamed and in pain from the hits he received.

"You little pervert! You've gone and sold your soul to the demon, haven't you!" They shouted, and Miroku merely raised his hand.

"It's the HAND! It's possessed by a demon!" He whined, and Inuyasha sneered at him.

"Hmph. You're possessed by somethin', but it ain't a demon."

"What are you thinking?! We're trying to get somewhere with them!" Kagome chided Miroku, but he merely rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"My point exactly! How sad."

"Also, they're like fourteen! Don't be a creep!" Sydney added, and the monk shrugged.

Inuyasha finally became as tired of the conversation as Sydney had, and raced forward.

"Is Tsubaki over there?!" He yelled, and the priestesses held out their staves, battle-ready.

"You will not pass! GO!" They threw several pieces of paper at the group, which turned into little men, and began marching.

Kagome kicked one aside, tilting her head at it.

"Ooookay…"

"Shikigami! These spirit puppets have been given souls which they then control." Kaede explained, and Sydney smirked, stepping on a few, and lighting the others on fire.

"You know, this may be a complete waste of time, but it's kind of fun." She said, giggling as the little paper men continued to try and be ferocious.

Inuyasha took a more direct approach, and slashed at them with the Tessaiga.

"Look how weak they are!" Shippo began to play with them with his fox fire, sending one running in circles.

"We can't really take these things seriously…" Miroku swept several aside with his staff, and Sango kicked more away from her.

"That's for sure."

Kilala pawed at one for a bit, and as the 'battle' continued, two of the shikigami retreated back to Momiji and Botan.

"That was all part of our trick, in order to get these strands of your hair from you." They admitted and Sydney glared at the strands, recognizing them as white and black strands.

 _Either Inuyasha's or mine, and either Kagome's or Sango's…_ Sydney thought, but wondered why the hair mattered to the priestesses.

"Now I understand!" Kaede gasped, looking concerned. Kagoem turned to her, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"What's the matter, Kaede?"

"They intend to transpose us into those Shikigami!" Kaede uttered, drawing the attention of Botan.

"Very clever, old demon!"

Sydney's mouth gaped open for a minute; she was truly amazed at how ignorant these girls were.

"I am a priestess!" Kaede defended, but they paid her no mind. They pulled out more of the paper used for the shikigamis, folded it, and threw it into the air. It glowed brightly, and began to transform.

Kagome shielded her eyes from the light, and tried to see what was happening.

"But whose bodies are they going to be?" She asked, and Kaede shook her head.

"I don't know!" She replied, and Inuyasha growled, rushing towards the light.

"I'll smash them apart no matter who they are!"

"I'm thinking Inuyasha or myself, and either Kagome or Sango. The hairs are long, and one is white, the other black." Sydney added, and Kagome gulped.

As the light began to take a form, Kaede squinted into it. "What IS that?"

"It can't be!" Miroku exclaimed, and Sango shoot her head.

"I think perhaps it can."

"Jesus Christ, I'm going to cry." Sydney giggled slightly, and then busted up laughing.

As the light cleared, there stood a very chubby, but very large version of Inuyasha. A chibi form, almost.

"That's Inuyasha!" Shippo recognized, and Inuyasha snarled back.

"It ain't nothin' like me!"

Kagome turned to the other shikigami, and her eyes widened.

"If that's him, then don't tell me this is gonna be..." She trailed off, upon seeing its form.

"I'm afraid so." Miroku nodded, with Sango and Shippo agreeing.

"Me too."

"Me three."

Sydney, however just laughed even harder, now kneeling on the ground, and unable to stop.

"This is great, ahaha, oh my god, this is absolutely brilliant!" She gasped, trying to stop her laughter, and failing miserably.

The second figure was a giant, terrible rendition of Kagome, in the same style as Inuyasha.

"It's not exactly like her, though…" Shippo admitted, and the things made a strange humming sound, seeming to prepare for battle.

Kagome then let out an indignant cry. "I don't look like that blimp!"

At this moment, the priestesses clapped their hands together in triumph.

"I think that we've outdone ourselves!"

"They're adorable!"

As the girls struck a pose, Sydney stopped laughing, and cringed.

 _So damn cheesy… it's annoying._

"Are you surprised, demons?"

"These shikigami don't merely look like both of you; your power has been transferred intact!"

Not hearing the rest of Momiji's declaration, Inuyasha raised a fist at the priestesses.

"That looks nothing like me!"

"Yeah, me either!" Kagome yelled back, and the girls merely smirked.

"Go!" They commanded, and the shikigami began to stomp towards the group, in huge, lumbering steps that shook the ground.

"This is getting stupid!" Inuyasha declared, and rushed for the beasts.

"Oh, so now you notice?" Sydney shot back, watching his attack to see the result.

"Iron reaver soul stealer!" He yelled, but the shikigami mirrored him, and hit Inuyasha to the ground.

The Kagome double then prepared a sacred arrow and shot it at the half demon, who leapt out of the way.

"Stay out of the way, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, and Kagome looked at him angrily.

"Would you stop calling that thing my name?!"

Inuyasha rushed his double again, and it followed suit.

Kagome tried to think, and then gasped in realization.

 _If that shikigami is supposed to be Inuyasha…_

"Sit!" She yelled, and Inuyasha (the real one) went crashing to the ground, per the usual, leaving the perfect opportunity for the shikigami to step on him, causing him to let out a yelp of pain, before Sango's hiraikotsu pushed the thing away.

Inuyasha jumped back to his feet and turned back to Kagome.

"What are you doing, Kagome?!" He demanded, a sense of betrayal in his voice.

"Pfft, drama queen." Sydney huffed, and Kagome clasped her hands together, in a prayer like fashion.

"Oops!"

"It seems that the powers of the items they are carrying are not transferred." Kaede declared, and Inuyasha glared over at his double once again.

"Goes to prove that thing's a big fake! Fake, but kind of enviable…" He muttered the last half of his sentence, and drew Tessaiga. The shikigami mimicked him, but his sword seemed to be a strange, wooden or foam replica.

Inuyasha cackled, and pointed at the thing. "HA! What's with that sword? You're finished!"

He charged, but tripped over a piece of the barrier, and was nearly hit by another shot from the Kagome double's bow, barely blocking it with Tessaiga.

Inuyasha growled in frustration, before looking back to Kagome.

"Kagome, do something about Kagome!"

This, however, began a whole new strain of bickering.

"Would you quit calling that thing my name? Besides, why don't you do something about THAT Inuyasha?!"

"That thing ain't me!"

Sango, Miroku and Sydney looked to each other, and sighed.

"They seem to be missing the point."

"We'd better take care of this."

"That is just what I was going to suggest. This isn't going to be easy."

"Miroku, can you take care of-uh, Kagome?"

At this moment, Kagome and Inuyasha became even more upset.

"Stop calling that beast 'Kagome'!"

"No, I think I would rather take care of Inuyasha."

"That thing's not me!"

"Me too, I could fight Inuyasha without any second thoughts."

"Yep."

"HEY! What do you two mean by that?!" Inuyasha roared, extremely offended and waving Tessaiga in the air.

"It's not personal!" Miroku smiled reassuringly, but Inuyasha ran ahead.

"I'm going to finish them off with my wind scar!" He declared, but Sydney stepped forward, pushing his blade down.

"I'll take a crack at it."

Miroku and Sango blinked at her for a moment, but nodded and stepped back.

Inuyasha, however, was much more reluctant.

"Whataya think you're doing?! This is my fight!" He argued, but Sydney rolled her eyes.

"I think I can take care of this faster, and safer. Let me take this one." She said, and turned to face the chibi forms of her friends.

Miroku and Sango grabbed Inuyasha and held him back, and began to whisper.

"I haven't seen her take on an opponent alone since the bat demon twins…"

"Do you think she can handle it?"

"If things go sour, we'll step in."

Twitching slightly and hearing the duo whispering about her, Sydney shot a glare back at them, shutting them up.

"Alright, frick and frack, let's see how you handle this!" Sydney stepped towards them, and held out her hands together, closing her eyes.

 _They're made of paper. Paper burns easily. This'll be a piece of cake. Okay, focus…_ She urged herself, holding her hands together and slowly bringing them apart, summoning a large ball of flame and letting it hover in front of her, albeit shakily.

The group stared in awe, and Inuyasha was speechless.

"That's right… the robe of the fire rat has no power for it, so, as paper, they'll burn to a crisp!" Kagome exclaimed, a grin spreading across her face.

However, as Sydney prepared to let the fire loose, the priestesses held out their hands, and Sydney gasped in pain, unable to move. Without being able to maintain her control of the flame, it dissipated, and she collapsed to her knees.

Inuyasha, too, stopped, unable to move the Tessaiga. "I can't- I can't move!" He realized, and the priestesses nodded smugly.

"Exactly, demon! We'll render you all paralyzed!" They strengthened the spell, and Kilala and Shippo fell to the ground, stuck.

"Shippo!" Kagome cried out, as the fox kit whined, trying to release himself from his constraints.

The priestesses gasped at the sight, and weakened their hold.

"But that cute little one is in pain, as well!" Botan pointed out, but Momiji shook her head.

"He must be stopped! He's a demon, too!" She stated, and Kaede stepped forward.

"That's enough, you two!" She tried to stop their idle chatter, but they merely regained their previous focus.

"Oh no, that demon is still moving! Go!" They sent the shikigami once again, and for the first time, they spoke.

"We're going…" The voices of the paper dolls were low and comical, like a parody of the original, and even in Sydney's pained, hunched over position, she let out a small chuckle.

Miroku and Sango, still able to move, rushed in front of the dolls, preventing them from moving towards the paralyzed demons.

"If you get in our way, we'll slay you, as well!" Momiji warned.

"Would you two stop this?! We haven't done anything wrong, let alone worth being killed over!" Kagome defended, and Kaede stepped towards Miroku.

"Miroku, we must subdue those two priestesses first!"

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Miroku nodded, dodging to the side to avoid being crushed by the Inuyasha copy's sword blow.

"Don't you dare interfere with us!" Botan interjected, and Inuyasha groaned, struggling to push himself to his feet.

"Why-you! Enough already!" He let out a yelp of pain as the priestesses strengthened their hold again, pushing him back to the ground.

"Inuyasha, don't- don't waste your energy!" Sydney commanded, still maintaining her kneeling position, managing to minimize the pain by moving very little.

"Shut it, Sydney! If you don't cut it out…" He continued to push, and when the Kagome double shot a sacred arrow at him, he managed to raise the Tessaiga and block it, as well as to block the Inuyasha double's sword.

"Stubborn demon…"

"We won't be defeated!"

The priestesses increased their hold on the demons even further, and Sydney cried out in pain, her hair going on end and her eyes clenching shut.

"You there! Coming in!" Sango shouted, attacking the girls with her hiraikotsu, breaking their concentration and control over the demons.

Sydney, upon feeling the pain go away, immediately leapt to her feet.

"Hey, you guys, I can move again!" Shippo, too, jumped up and cheered, and Inuyasha shoved the shikigami off, knocking it onto its back.

"You're through!"

"Stupid kids. That hurt, you know! Take this!" Sydney screamed, baring her fangs, and readying another ball of fire, this time sending it straight for the shikigami.

"Wind scar!" Inuyasha joined in, and the two attacks utterly destroyed the paper dolls, and blasted Momiji and Botan to the ground.

"Oh no, you don't!" Sydney snarled, and summoned several roots which wrapped around the girls, preventing them from moving.

Inuyasha panted for a moment, glaring at the spot where the shikigami had been.

"So much for them."

Miroku rushed over to the girls, who were currently restrained and chuckled nervously.

"Sydney, I think you can let them go." He said, but Sydney shook her head.

"Hmph. Not a chance; let's see how they like it." She bit back, and crossed her arms.

"No, you see, they've fainted." Miroku said, poking the roots with his staff.

Sydney let out a loud sigh of irritation, but let the roots fall from the priestesses.

"Fear not; their lives aren't in danger. And they don't seem to be hurt- GAH!" He assured the group, but once again, his hands found their way to the girls' backsides, and Sango picked him up roughly by the ear.

"At least in my care they wouldn't be sexually harassed…" Sydney grumbled.

Kagome kneeled down beside the unconscious priestesses, and looked down at them.

"Huh. What'll we do with these two?" She wondered aloud, and Shippo gulped in nervousness.

"Kagome, do you think they'll attack us again when they come to?"

"Who knows? Maybe they really are THAT stupid." Sydney said, and Miroku shook his head.

"Tsubaki either sweet-talked them, or deceived them. In any case, I think they'd understand if we explained ourselves to them."

Inuyasha put his hands on his hips, and sneered: "Right, and who's gonna take on such a silly task?"

Miroku cheerfully turned, and raised his hand, as if making a vow.

"Naturally, I will have to handle this. I will take them both into custody and stay with them until everything is in the open."

Kagome thought for a moment, before kneeling down beside Shippo.

"Hey Shippo, could you stay with Miroku, please?" She asked, smiling at him.

Shippo blinked up at her, not catching on.

"Who, me? What am I supposed to do with Miroku?"

Sango joined in, leaning down to the fox kit.

"All you have to do is keep an eye on the monk."

Miroku, hearing the conversation, laughed nervously.

"And if you're here, it'll be easier to convince them that you're not evil!" Kagome added, sensing Shippo's apprehension.

Upon hearing his 'task', Shippo puffed out his chest and nodded.

"I'll have to be on my toes!"

"Kilala, you stay too." Sango said to the cat, and she meowed in response.

"You do what you want. I'm going after Tsubaki!" Inuyasha replied, running off towards the forest.

"Wait, Inuyasha!" Kaede attempted to stop the boy, but he was shocked upon coming into contact with the barrier, and shrieked in pain, falling to the ground.

"Wait until I bring down the barrier." Kaede commanded, walking past the still-twitching Inuyasha.

Sydney stepped up beside him, and glanced down. "You know, you'd think you'd learn."

"Oh, shut it!"

* * *

"Hey, I see something up ahead!" Inuyasha shouted, rushing alongside Sydney, followed by Sango, Kaede, and Kagome, as they approached what appeared to be a shrine.

"I sense the sacred jewel nearby!" Kagome declared, and hurried to keep up.

"Do you think Tsubaki's in there?" Sango asked, and Inuyasha bared his fangs, scoffing.

He was stopped however, as he ran through the door, by what appeared to be another barrier.

"Gah- what is this?!" He struggled to get through, and Sydney paused.

"Somehow, you always end up like this." She sighed, earning a growl from the angry half-demon.

"Even the gate to the shrine has a barrier!" Kaede announced, exasperated.

Sydney stepped up behind Inuyasha, and pushed, hard, getting him through, causing the sutras on the door to burst into blue flame.

"They broke through that barrier?" Kaede muttered, amazed, at what she'd just seen, as the group followed the two demons through the door.

As they came out into the open part of the shrine, Inuyasha looked around frantically.

"Show yourself, Tsubaki!"

A huge ray of demonic energy surged up from a tower in the distance, and it seemed extremely powerful, drawing the attention of the group.

"I've got the weirdest feeling she's over there." Sydney said, and Inuyasha glared at her; she shrugged.

"Just as I feared… it IS the same woman after all." Kaede said, almost sadly, causing Inuyasha to turn and face her.

"Who are you talking about?"

"The priestess who was passed over for my sister, Kikyo. I never imagined she would turn to the dark side." She said softly, and Inuyasha stared at her, uncaring.

"Who the heck cares what happened in the past? I wanna know where she is, now!" He blabbered, before Kagome gasped, and turned to look towards the light.

"What's the matter, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, and she pointed towards the red light emanating from something in the distance.

"Deep inside… I sense the sacred jewel!"

Sydney felt something, too, but it was not the sacred jewel: it was something dark, something malevolent, and something with a strange energy, not like anything before.

"Alright!" Excited, Inuyasha turned to approach the shrine, but Kaede stopped him.

"Wait! This area could be dangerous!"

This warning caused the group to pause, and look to the old woman for an explanation.

"What do you know about this place, Kaede?" Sango inquired, leading Kaede to elaborate.

"Legend tells of an ogre that was sealed away in this region."

"An ogre?" Kagome repeated, looking anxiously at the beam of light.

"Then I suppose we've got to go see." Sydney said, beginning to walk towards the energy. Inuyasha ran in front of her, and picked up the lead.

"Let's go!"

As they ran out of the shrine's walls and into the forest, they followed the path, with Inuyasha and Sydney running in front, and the others trailing slightly behind.

"Over there!" Kagome shouted, and Sydney gasped as several demons reared their heads out from the trees and bushes, snarling and snapping at her. She stopped, and Inuyasha snickered.

"Heh. Figures they'd be here."

He drew the Tessaiga and began hacking away at them, and Sydney began to set them aflame, holding some back with various vines and roots. Sango took out a few with her hiraikotsu, and as the demons fell, they turned into slips of paper.

Sydney huffed, and set them on fire, and as they disappeared, Inuyasha smirked.

"That was hardly worth the effort."

"Indeed. Those shikigami were not strong at all." Kaede confirmed, and Sango did not remove her hand from her weapon.

"Does that mean Tsubaki's power is beginning to weaken?"

"But why, though? She has the sacred jewel?" Kagome continued, and Inuyasha sheathed his sword.

"She probably doesn't know how to use it properly. Let's keep moving, come on!" He darted ahead, and Sydney immediately headed to the front with him. They'd sort of found a formation, which had worked well thus far, and she wasn't about to let it go.

They paused in front of a large tower, and Sydney felt the strange aura once again. She held her hand to her chest; it felt uncomfortable, and extremely unpleasant.

"Something's not right." Sydney muttered, her eyes narrowing.

"This is it?" Inuyasha asked, eyeing the thing apprehensively.

"Yeah… what is this tower?" Sango looked it up and down, seeming to feel just as uneasy as Sydney.

"The place where you'll die." A voice came from inside the tower, and a sharp wind blew the doors open. A woman, dressed in a pink yukata, with green beaded earrings and her dark hair tied up into a bun, secured with a feather, jumped out and smirked up at the group.

Inuyasha snarled at her, and flexed his claws. "Kagura. You again."

She made a slight sound of recognition, and Sango placed a hand on the hiraikotsu.

"I knew it! Naraku and Tsubaki have both joined forces!"

"Naraku's with her, huh? That's all the better. I'll kill all three of you, while I'm here." Inuyasha cracked his knuckles.

Kagura chuckled, raising her fan. "I'm not the one you should be battling, Inuyasha. I merely came here today to witness your tragic deaths."

She leapt out out of the way, and red eyes glared out from the darkness of the tower. Sydney shivered; the strange aura was stronger than before, much stronger, and it was putting her on the edge.

A huge, hulking soldier shambled out from inside the door, and it was hideous.

 _A zombie? Really?!_ Sydney though, her mouth gaping open. Then she realized it.

 _This aura… it's the aura of the dead. No, the living dead; it's the lack of a life force! It must be the stone…_

As she pondered this realization, Inuyasha readied the Tessaiga, and approached the creature.

"Heh. This'll be easy. It's probably just another demon puppet!" He gloated, before leaping at it, swinging his sword down, only to be blocked by the soldier's own blade. He was shoved backwards, and landed on his feet, crouching down.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out, but Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, and rose to his feet.

"Huh. He's a little stronger than I figured… try and stop this!" Inuyasha lifted his blade, and sent a wind scar at the beast.

"Dance of blades!"

Kagura waved her fan, sending her own attack into the fray, dissipating the wind scar. Inuyasha, distracted by her interference, was sent flying by the monster's attack.

"You're hardly an observer! Hiraikotsu!" Sango hissed, and sent her weapon at Kagura, who easily dodged it.

"Just staving off boredom. Dance of blades!" Kagura sent another attack, this time straight at Inuyasha, who struggled to avoid both hers and the monsters'.

Sydney ground her teeth, being increasingly irritated by this woman.

 _Who the hell does she think she is?!_

As she sent attack after attack towards Inuyasha, Sydney fought to see how she could help here.

 _I could attack the zombie, but would my attacks even work? It isn't alive! But, her… she fights with wind… Michiko said I can control fire, water, earth, and air, right? Maybe I can stop her!_

Sydney, filled with renewed vigor, turned to face the woman, Kagura.

"Dance of the dragon!" As she shouted, she sent several tornadoes at Inuyasha, and Sydney smirked.

"Not today!" She held out her hand, and waved the tornadoes aside, causing them to fade into the air, giving Inuyasha a moment of respite.

Kagura glared down at Sydney, who she had ignored previously, and prepared another attack.

"Dance of blades!" As she sent the wind blades at Sydney this time, Kagome shot a sacred arrow straight for her, taking off a piece of her earring. "Oh no, you don't!"

Sydney managed to stop the attack in midair, and gritted her teeth, trying to feel out the amount fo control she possessed. She sent the blade flying back at Kagura, who managed to dodge.

Kaede this time, shot an arrow at Kagura, and as she batted it away, the zombie lost his sword to Inuyasha's blow.

"Time for my wind scar!" He yelled, attacking one more time, and the zombie soldier exploded into pieces of paper. Sydney stared, shocked, at the sight, as the aura of death faded away.

 _It seemed so real…_

"You're going down next!" Inuyasha turned to Kagura, who merely pouted and took the feather from her hair, enlarging it and flying up into the air.

"Tsubaki should be your next victim." She advised, before flying away.

"Damn!" Inuyasha cursed, but Kagome rushed forward, drawing his attention. "Inuyasha, I sense the sacred jewel!"

As the group turned back to the tower, another dark presence began to put Sydney on the alert.

This one she recognized, from their earlier battle. As they walked inside, Sydney fell to the rear, and the events of the last battle replayed in her mind. How Kagome was nearly killed, and how Sydney couldn't do anything to stop it.

 _Tsubaki… you won't get away this time._

They reached a stairwell within the tower, and Kagome leaned into see down inside it, but saw nothing.

"There was a barrier here to keep something sealed within, but the seal has been broken." Kaede announced, and Sango looked at her in confusion.

"You mean like those shikigami?"

"Yes, but a seal this strong would never be needed for those spirits-"

"We'll find our answers inside; c'mon!" Inuyasha interrupted, jumping down the stairwell.

"You know, you'd think he couldn't walk, the way he jumps everywhere." Sydney sighed, following close behind, with Sango, Kagome, and Kaede nodding in agreement and taking up the rear.

As they neared the crack of a door, Sydney could hear the dark priestess's laughter, which now seemed deranged, and mad, like a cackle.

As Inuyasha shoved the doors open, they saw her, kneeling in front of a strange rock, with a hand over her right eye.

"We've found you, Tsubaki!"

She turned quickly, a small smile on her face. "You again. I've been waiting for you."

"Give us the sacred jewel back!" Inuyasha demanded, and Tsubaki's grin widened, becoming even more unsettling.

"Is that what you're after? This is truly incredible." She said, not removing her hand from her eye.

"Look, the sacred jewel is in Tsubaki's right eye!" Kagome announced, causing Tsubaki to level her gaze at her.

"In her eye?" Inuyasha repeated, and Tsubaki lifted her hand from the eye, letting her hair fall over it.

"I never imagined it would be this powerful. If only the sacred jewel had come into my possession fifty years ago!"

"Fifty years ago? Tsubaki, what happened between you and my sister, Kikyo?" Kaede pressed, and Tsubaki's cheer faded away.

"Kikyo? You know of her? It's all Kikyo's fault! Kikyo, that cold and heartless priestess!" Tsubaki hissed, seeming to look at nothing at all, as if seeing her past replay in front of her very eyes.

Inuyasha stepped forward, teeth bared. "Nobody is going to smear her name!"

"Silence!" Tsubaki abrubtly turned to face him, her eye glowing, and a huge blast of energy sent Inuyasha flying into the wall.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome rushed to his side, and he winced as he rose to his feet, grasping his chest where he was hit.

"So, what's next after those demons? What're you hiding in that eye of yours?" He spat, causing Tsubaki to rear back, laughing.

"I'm overflowing with demonic power! It's coursing through my veins!" She gloated, her hands beginning turn red and enlarge.

"Demonic power?" Sango questioned, and Tsubaki cackled madly, raising her hands as she began to glow with malevolent energy.

"We've got to move!" Sydney shouted, seeing the tower begin to shake with the force of her power. She grabbed Kagome, and bolted back up the stairs. Inuyasha followed her lead, grabbing Kaede, and Sango ran up behind.

As they darted out of the tower, Miroku and the others waited outside.

The tower collapsed, and Tsubaki's hulking, demonic form loomed over them.

"Behold the power of the sacred jewel! Witness the true might of the ogre!" She bellowed, her voice ringing with a newfound demonic essence.

Sydney, along with the others, stared up in awe at the dark priestess' new form, and Tsubaki cackled. "What's wrong? Has my power left all of you speechless?" She taunted, and Botan clutched a hand to her heart, the fear spreading across her face.

"The seal has been broken…"

"Oh no! That's Tsubaki! She wouldn't dare have broken the seal!" Momiji denied the sight in front of her, and Sydney shot her a glare.

"I think you might want to reconsider that."

"With this power, I shall have eternal life!" The now ogre-priestess raised her arm, and lightning began to form in the sky, coalescing into a bolt which struck down into Tsubaki's hand.

"Get back, now!" Miroku warned, and as Tsuabki sent the strike down at them, the group scattered.

"This power is unparalleled!"

Inuyasha leapt up to strike at her with the Tessaiga, but was batted away.

"Damn!"

"She's strong enough to stop the Tessaiga!" Shippo shouted, and Inuyasha glared at him.

Sydney stood to the side, and readied a ball of flame, but Tsubaki turned her gaze towards her.

"I'm taking care of you first, this time!" She snarled, and Sydney gasped as a hand moved to hit her. Sydney sent the fireball prematurely, and it merely left a scorch mark on the ogre's skin.

Sydney managed to grab Tsubaki's hand before it could crush her, and she grunted, struggling to push it back. She managed to set her hands aflame, and Tsubaki recoiled, giving Sydney a moment to run. However, as she tried to flee, Tsubaki came back and swatted her away, causing her to cry out.

"Sydney!"

As she hit the ground, she groaned, her body feeling the impact immediately and hating her for it.

She rolled over and kicked up with her legs to keep Tsubaki from crushing her again.

"Surrender! It's useless!"

"Don't be so sure about that! Have a taste of my wind scar!" Inuyasha shouted, drawing Tsubaki's attention, and as she moved away, Sydney breathed a sigh of relief, but found it difficult to move.

Tsubaki managed to block the wind scar, and merely had to use her arms to prevent any damage. After a moment, the energy faded away, and Tsubaki stood, not one bit closer to being defeated.

"No way… my wind scar didn't kill her!" Inuyasha said, staring in shock at the still-standing ogre-priestess.

"You fool!" Tsubaki reared back, summoning a ball of lightning, and attacked Inuyasha, readying several and attacking without pause, eventually knocking Inuyasha off of his feet. Kagome ran to his aid immediately.

"Inuyasha, no!"

"I'll get her!" Miroku removed the beads around his hand and attempted to use his wind tunnel, but Tsubaki sent a lightning strike straight for him, forcing him to dodge and put it away.

Kagome turned to face their opponent, and notched an arrow. "My turn!"

As the sacred arrow flew towards Tsubaki, it found its place in her arm, causing the ogre to let out a loud scream of pain, before she ripped it out, leaving nothing but more burns on her skin, coupled with the ones that Sydney had left.

Said dog demoness struggled to her feet, and joined the others, where Kagome embraced her and checked her for any obvious, severe injuries.

"You may be Kikyo's reincarnation, but you are virtually powerless!" Tsubaki dropped the arrow to the ground and stepped on it, grinning horrifically at the group.

"Kikyo was a foolish priestess who squandered the power of the sacred jewel!"

"Y'know, envy is a really ugly color on anyone, but it looks especially bad on you, Tsubaki." Sydney smirked up at the ogre, beginning to feel her strength return, and with it, her confidence.

"What are you saying?!" Kaede interjected, upset at hearing her sister's name used in such a way.

"I, Tsubaki, am the perfect match for the sacred jewel! Fifty years have passed, and at last, the power of the sacred jewel is mine!" Tsuaki continued, paying no mind to Kaede's interruption.

"Not for long! You won't get your way, Tsubaki!" Inuyasha shot back, swinging at Tsubaki with the Tessaiga, only to be batted to the ground, once again.

As Sango, too, tried to make a mark on the ogre, Tsubaki merely laughed in their faces. "Come for me! The sacred jewel can take on all of you, and more!" She taunted, her yellow eyes glowing with malevolence. "There are countless demons that desire the power of this jewel! I will devour them all, and I will have both their strength, and eternal life!"

"She intends to use the sacred jewel to consume demons and gain their power!" Kaede simplified, and Inuyasha rose to his feet.

"Not if I can help it…"

"Half-demon! You will soon be mine!" Tsubaki leered down at him, her eye glowing, and Sydney scoffed.

"I doubt it." Inuyasha countered, and Tsubaki merely laughed at him.

"You sure you've got enough room in there? You know, all that weight is going to go straight to your hips!" Sydney spat, and Kagome stared at her incredulously.

"Sydney, not now! You're wounded, and she could kill you!"

"I'll be fine… give me a minute more." Sydney assured her, standing on her own. "She's our focus now, and she's locked on to Inuyasha."

"Hahaha, Inuyasha, aren't you the one that made Kikyo lose her way in the first place?" Tsubaki goaded him on, and he bared his fangs.

"Why, you..."

"I shall devour whole the half demon that Kikyo could not have!" Strange winds began to pull from within Tsubaki's eye, and Inuyasha's hair flipped around him as it pulled him towards her.

"Come, and surrender your heart to the sacred jewel!"

As Inuyasha's vision began to blur, he stuck the Tessaiga into the ground and used it to avoid the pull.

"That thing is powerful…"

"Now explain yourself, half-demon; why do you not give yourself to the power?" Tsubaki demanded

"Because you tarnish the sacred jewel, Tsubaki! Kikyo never did that!"

"How dare you!" Tsubaki's eyes widened, and then narrowed again, as bolts of lightning struck Inuyasha, blasting him to the side.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out, but could not risk trying to reach him. Sydney grabbed her shoulder, and held up a hand, watching as Tsubaki lost her composure.

"I have sacrificed EVERYTHING for the sacred jewel! Know the wrath of my power!" Tsubaki reared back, and sent lightning strikes all around the field.

Sydney grabbed Kagome and held her so that she wouldn't be hit, but as Inuyasha cried out in agony as being struck by one, she called out his name.

Inuyasha recovered quickly, and rushed at the ogre.

"Admit it, fool!" She spat a huge beam of demonic power at him, and he countered it with the Tessaiga.

"That demonic aura is the only thing keeping you alive! Time for my backlash wave!" Inuyasha struck the heart of Tsubaki's attack, and sent the entirety of it back at her, tearing her new body apart, allowing the true Tsubaki to fall from the sky.

"No, but why-" She began, but grunted as she hit the ground, and Sydney snarled, rushing for her, but was stopped by Kagome, who shook her head.

"I'm not finished-ah, I still possess the sacred jewel!" She stated, but gasped as her eye began to glow, and out of it, flew a huge demonic insect, carrying the jewel.

She leapt up in panic, and ran for it. "No, my sacred jewel!"

"You won't get away!" Sango shouted, and sent her hiraikotsu, which killed the insect. However, Kagura flew up from underneath, and snatched it away, laughing to herself.

"Give that back to us!" Inuyasha demanded, but she merely smirked, and flew away. "So long."

Tsubaki then collapsed, and Sydney gaped at her new form; an extremely elderly woman.

"Curse you… curse you all!"

Upon realizing her current state, Tsubaki touched her hands and gasped in disgust. "My youth is evaporating! My youth, my beauty!"

"She aged so suddenly…" Kagome stated, and Kaede nodded.

"Tsubaki has lost her original demonic powers as well as those of the jewel. Now, she is returning to her original form."

"Oh, exactly where did I go wrong...? Did I underestimate that half-demon? Or perhaps Kagome? Or was it because I made a pact with Naraku? Where did I go wrong?" She muttered, asking herself, and becoming quieter, before sitting up, and raising her hands to the sky, a manic grin on her wrinkled face.

"I, Tsubaki, am the greatest priestess!"

As she shouted into the sky, her body began to degrade, and she began to fade away, leaving only her clothes and her beads.

"That's the end of the dark priestess." Miroku declared, and Momiji and Botan approached her remains slowly, as they blew into the wind.

"Poor Tsubaki."

* * *

As the group prepared to leave, Momiji and Botan approached them once again.

"Sorry for the trouble." They said, bowing in respect.

Kagome waved off their concerns, and smiled. "There's no need to apologize. It wasn't your fault!"

Botan leaned out and looked to the fox it, who waited eagerly for their departure, and lay upon Kagome's shoulder.

"Take care, Shippo!"

"You too!" He grinned back, and the two young priestesses waved at the group as they left the shrine.

"It turns out that we have once again fallen victim to Naraku's evil tricks." Miroku commented, and Inuyasha glanced over at him.

"Yeah, who did?"

"Tsubaki, and the rest of us, as well."

"And Naraku's the one who possesses the sacred jewel once again." Sango added, and Inuyasha scoffed.

"I'll get it back from him."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right, Inuyasha." Kagome assured him, a smile spreading across her face as they continued to walk.

"Oh boy, I'm so tired." Shippo yawned, and Kaede nodded.

"Well, shall we go back, then?"

As the group began to pick up the pace, Inuyasha abrubtly turned around to leer into the bushes and trees.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Kagome inquired, and Inuyasha shook his head.

"Forget it, probably nothing. Guess I imagined it."

He turned and joined with the others, and as they walked, Sydney could sense it again; the aura of death, or un-death, as it were. She recognized the scent, too; it was the woman from before, Kikyo.

Sydney glanced at Inuyasha, who refused to meet her gaze, and sighed, electing to ignore it.

As they walked, however, Sydney fell into a monotonous pace, and her thoughts began to wander back to the battle.

 _Once again, I tried to be of use to the others, and only became a burden. Every single time, I try to use these stupid powers, and get swept aside, and hurt! Damn it, I hate this!_

 _Michiko made it sound like I would be some incredibly force, some huge help, but so far, I'm useless._

Sydney was then reminded of her deal with the dog demon from before, Sesshomaru.

 _He said he'd help me… he may not be able to help with the powers of the stone, but at least I'll be a decent dog demon, with his help. I'll just have to track him down!_

As they found themselves back at Kaede's village, Sydney settled down into the corner of the hut, near the door, and watched as everyone fell asleep.

Once Inuyasha's eyes had closed, and his breathing seemed to slow, Sydney reached for her backpack and removed a pen and paper, writing a note for the others.

" _Gone to train. Don't come looking, I'll be back soon._

 _Love, Sydney"_

She placed the note next to Kagome, and placed her bag (which was substantially smaller than Kagome's) on her back, before tip-toeing outside, and inhaling deeply.

As she walked along the creek, she considered what her first move should be.

 _I'm a dog demon… I should be able to track him! So, I'll check the last place we met!_

Set upon her path, Sydney headed for the clearing where she had last seen the dog demon, and could faintly pick up on his scent.

"Jackpot!" She grinned, and then set out, following the traces of his scent she could pick up, but struggling at times.

 _Well, I'm in for a hell of a night, then._ She thought, but steeled her resolve, and continued, determined to find him before the next day, so Inuyasha and the others couldn't catch up.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading, and I apologize for the slight wait! This one was long, and it'll also be one of the last canon-based chapters for a while! Most of the rest will be original, with a canon piece thrown in here and then, so please review and follow to keep me motivated!**

 **I've also been collecting some art of Michiko and Sydney, so please check out the two links on my profile for those, and if you draw or do any form of art and enjoy this story, any more pieces of art for either Sydney or Michiko would be absolutely amazing, and really get me motivated! So please take a look, and let me know what you think!**

 **So, thank you for reading, and I'll get the next chapter out shortly, hopefully this week!**


	8. Sydney and Sesshomaru Join Forces

**Hello there! Welcome to chapter 7; in other words, when Sesshomaru and Sydney start to butt heads!**

 **Per the usual, please review and let me know what you guys think! It means the world to me and keeps me writing regularly! Please enjoy, regardless 3**

 **Typical disclaimer; I own nothing besides my OCs (Sydney, Michiko, and others to appear eventually).**

* * *

 _She placed the note next to Kagome, and placed her bag (which was substantially smaller than Kagome's) on her back, before tip-toeing outside, and inhaling deeply._

 _As she walked along the creek, she considered what her first move should be._

 _I'm a dog demon… I should be able to track him! So, I'll check the last place we met!_

 _Set upon her path, Sydney headed for the clearing where she had last seen the dog demon, and could faintly pick up on his scent._

" _Jackpot!" She grinned, and then set out, following the traces of his scent she could pick up, but struggling at times._

 _Well, I'm in for a hell of a night, then. She thought, but steeled her resolve, and continued, determined to find him before the next day, so Inuyasha and the others couldn't catch up._

* * *

"Good god, how do dogs do this all the time? They make it look so easy!"

Sydney's loud and abrupt whining, coupled with the furious punch she sent into a nearby tree, sent several birds flying up into the air, away from the hot mess down below.

As she pulled away from the dent she'd made in the bark, shaking her hand and pursing her lips in frustration, she fought to find exactly what she'd accomplished that night.

She had been furiously sniffing around, trying desperately to latch on to Sesshomaru's scent, and was, at the moment, failing miserably. Having found it in the earlier clearing, she had gone on for about three hours, before the scent faded into the many other conflicting scents around her.

Considering Sesshomaru for a moment (as he was her goal, and the only even vaguely familiar scent in what seemed to be thousands), she tried to pinpoint what it resembled, pressing a finger to her cheek absentmindedly.

 _Hm… there's definitely some kind of musk there, but I assume that'd be something men just smell like all the time. No, there's something else… balsam? Yeah, balsam wood, and perhaps some mint? No…_

As her thoughts wandered off into what she smelled like naturally, and what her friends did, she sat down beneath the tree she had been abusing, and leaned against it, tossing her bag beside her, and being grateful for a moment of respite from her search.

Shaking her head now, and exhaling deeply, she gazed halfheartedly into the brush.

"Honestly, is this even worth it? Sniffing around, looking for someone I barely know?" She sighed to herself, crossing her arms and tilting her head upwards, noting the soft light of dawn passing over the trees, casting a warm shadow over her body.

 _And where is it going to get me, anyhow?_

Pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees, she let out a small huff, and closed her eyes.

 _Everything has changed, and even though he said he'd help me, will I really be getting anywhere? I don't belong here, but I don't belong back home. I don't belong anywhere, anymore…_

As her thoughts became more and more pessimistic, a crisp breeze swept over her, ruffling the grass and the tie on her shirt, as her hair blew around her.

Her eyes shot open however, as a distinct scent was carried on that breeze: balsam and mint, in the combination that she'd come to attribute to Inuyasha's brother.

Sydney shook her head fiercely, attempting to clear her mind, and stood up, placing her bag on her shoulders once again.

"Can't think like that. I've got a dog to sniff out."

Noting which direction the breeze came from, Sydney leaned backwards, cracking her back, before breaking into her previous sprint, extremely unwilling to lose the demon's trail once again.

A wild grin broke across the girl's face as she ran, enjoying the sensation of the wind whipping her silver-streaked hair back, and feeling like she was unstoppable.

That is, until she stopped.

She paused, taking a moment to slow down, and leapt up into a nearby tree, perching precariously on one of the branches.

 _These scents… they're mixed with his, but they seem so odd, and different! One seems like Kagome's and Sango's, but it's tinted with something… sweet pea? And then, this other one… like a lake? And a third… like a storm, like the rain._

Blinking her eyes and focusing once again on her task, she peered ahead, where the sunlight illuminated a clearing. In the clearing, was one of the strangest groups she'd ever seen, even compared to the one she'd spent the past few days with.

In the center lay a fire, seeming to be dying down, and around it, lay a two-headed, dragon-like creature, what looked to be a goblin with an odd beak and a huge, hideous staff, and a little girl with dark hair and an orange, checkered kimono.

The gremlin and the little girl looked to be fast asleep, and while the dragon's eyes were lazily closed, Sydney couldn't be sure about that one.

However, despite the odd appearance of this group, Sesshomaru was nowhere to be seen.

Sydney's brow furrowed in frustration, scanning the nearby vicinity, and seeing nothing. Leaning back against the tree, and letting her leg dangle off of her branch, Sydney considered what this meant.

 _Perhaps he was here? He had to have been, his scent is incredibly strong. Granted, I'm a few paces away, but I would imagine that- wait._

Harsh realization flickering across her face, and recognizing the feeling of an icy gaze on her, Sydney barely had the time to look down before her ankle was yanked downward, and she came crashing to the ground below her perch.

She yelped in pain, landing on her back, and groaned as she looked up and met the cold, golden eyes that she realized had probably seen her approach.

Sesshomaru stepped slowly out from the darkness of the trees and glared down at the girl, who averted his gaze quickly.

"I suppose I wasn't as subtle as I should've been…" She grumbled, rising to her feet and dusting herself off, noting not to sneak up on the man ever again.

"Why are you following me?"

As his gaze bored into her, Sydney blinked in confusion, before she looked back to him.

"What do you mean? Remember, we met before? I was pretty out of it, but I would assume that I haven't imagined that." She pointed out, resting her hands on her hips.

As Sesshomaru reflected on the night a few days prior, where he had met a similar woman, she did seem quite familiar. Yet, she had changed, even in a few days. As he eyed her, it was clear; the silver had spread further into her hair, and her aura had increased immensely, to the point where he had assumed her to be a threat.

His eyes narrowed slightly, remembering their conversation.

He had been merely curious about this power that had so suddenly appeared, and upon witnessing her battle against the bat demons Naraku had sent, he was more interested. Yet, he hadn't anticipated her actually seeking him out.

"What of it?" He spoke slowly and simply, and as she stood, eyeing him and tapping her foot, he became more irritated by her presence.

"Well, recently, I fought in another battle, and it was rough. I found it very difficult and upsetting to sit back, unable to control myself and truly help… I don't want that to ever happen again. And you agreed to help me train; that's what I need, to make sure that it won't!" She babbled for a moment, before Sesshomaru held up a hand, silently ordering her to stop, and she paused.

He went a few moments without saying anything, and stared intensely at her, as if a million thoughts were coursing through his mind, and finally, he huffed, and turned to walk away from her.

Sydney waited for a moment, unsure of how to proceed.

"Follow if you wish. In return for my aid, you will care for Rin."

As he spoke, Sydney's lips curled upwards in a small grin, and she approached the camp, matching his pace.

 _And, that's his awkward and roundabout way of saying yes._

As Sydney looked over the ragtag group once again, she inferred that this 'Rin' was the little girl, who was happily curled up next to the dragon.

As she opened her mouth to speak, Sesshomaru's harsh glare spoke enough to stop her.

 _Ooo-kay, don't wake the others yet. Got it._

Sesshomaru found his place beneath one of the trees, and rested comfortably, his eyes moving from Sydney to the fire, and Sydney, not wanting the poor child to wake up with a strange person sitting right in front of her, followed suit, and found a tree opposite the demon lord.

Gazing up into the sky, she assumed that the group would awaken soon enough, and fought to keep her eyes open; only now that her temporary goal had been accomplished did she realize that she hadn't slept all night.

Just as her consciousness began to fade, she was ripped back to reality by the single most grating voice she had ever heard.

"GAH! Who is this strange woman?! Not to worry, Lord Sesshomaru, I shall dispose of her at once!" The scratchy, pitchy voice initially simply annoyed her, but the end of its sentence sent Sydney's eyes right open, and staring wildly at the thing, which was now pointing the odd staff at her menacingly.

"Begone, foul wench! Face the wrath of the-"

"Jaken. Leave her." Sesshomaru's monotone tenor bit through the imp's threat, and it looked, shocked, at the demon, who sat, eyes closed, beneath his tree.

"Wha- what? My Lord, you know her?" The imp, who Sydney now recognized to be 'Jaken', did not relax his guard, but turned his focus away from the girl, who sighed in relief, and settled back into a comfortable position.

Sesshomaru did not answer, merely letting a peculiar look flicker over Sydney, before changing the subject.

"Wake Rin and A-Un, and prepare to leave."

Jaken, mouth gape, looked between his master and the new woman repeatedly, before Sydney rolled her eyes, and sat up, sending the imp scurrying backwards to keep distance.

"Nice to meet you, Mister Jaken. I'm Sydney." She greeted, half-heartedly smiling at him, as his eyes seemed to double in size and he stared at her as if she'd grown a second head, mouth now flapping mindlessly.

 _This woman… her aura is unlike anything I've ever felt! Why, she could easily-_

"What, have I really left you speechless? I'm truly flattered." Sydney eventually drawled, leaning over on her arm and smirking at the now even more flustered imp.

"How dare you, you- you-"

"Could you wake Rin? I'd rather not terrify the poor thing this early in the morning, and would love to do an introduction." Sydney cut in, gesturing towards the still fast-asleep child. Jaken shook with fury at being interrupted, but upon sensing his master's fierce gaze, he did as directed, and waddled towards the sleeping Rin.

"Rin! Rin, you silly girl, it's time to wake up!"

As Sydney shot the imp a cold glance, the girl began to stir, and rubbed her eyes something fierce before sitting up and yawning. Upon removing her hands, her eyes locked on to Sydney, and said demon gave her a small wave.

"Hey there."

Rin stared at her, puzzled for a moment.

"Lord Sesshomaru, who is this?" She asked, peeking over at the daiyoukai, who remained under his tree.

"She will be travelling with us."

His typical tone of boredom and general disinterest led Sydney to roll her eyes, but Rin merely grinned widely and became excited, and bounded over to Sydney, standing in front of her.

"You're really travelling with us now? Wow, this is going to be so fun! What's your name? Where are you from? What sort of demon are you? You look kind of like Lord Sesshomaru, but different…"

As the girl rattled off question after question, Sydney shot the aforementioned demon lord a look, which he did not return.

"Well, yes! Your lord is doing me a huge favor, and I'm very appreciative. My name is Sydney, and I'm not from around here, actually. I'm also a dog demon." With every answer, Rin's brown orbs grew wider and seemingly happier.

"Oh, gosh! Your hair is so pretty, and your eyes, too! And your clothes are so strange-"

"Rin. Let's go." Sesshomaru broke the little girl's speech with a sharp command, and Rin immediately turned and nodded.

"Yes, my lord! Come on, Miss Sydney, I'll introduce you to A-Un!" Rin chirped, grabbing Sydney by the hand and pulled her along, until she was standing just in front of the now-rising dragon.

"A-Un, meet Miss Sydney! Miss Sydney, meet A-Un!"

Sydney smiled, holding out a hand for the dragon, as she often did with dogs at home, and it eyed her strangely for a moment, before pressing one snout into the hand. Sydney took that as a good sign, and ran her hand over its scales, petting it. However, after a moment, the other head decided it felt lonely, and pushed the first aside.

"Ooo-kay. Let me guess, one head is A, and the other is Un?" Sydney looked down to the little girl, who nodded, that infectious grin still spread across her face.

 _She's so adorable… I could get used to this._

As he watched the two girls interact, Sesshomaru stood, and began walking, which only Jaken noted.

"Come on, you two! Lord Sesshomaru will leave without us!" Jaken croaked, and Sydney glanced up at the now-departing demon.

"Huh. It's like he's on a schedule or something. Come on, Rin, do you want a piggy back ride?" Sydney kneeled down to the little girl, who looked at her in confusion.

 _Damn. Probably not a term commonly used here._

Sydney turned around, secured her bag to A-Un, and held out her arms for Rin to climb onto her back.

"Just climb on, and I can carry you!" Sydney suggested, and Rin nodded, hopping on. As Sydney stood, she was incredibly happy that Rin was light and easy to hold.

"Fine, but don't slow us down!" Jaken huffed, shuffling forward to walk behind Sesshomaru with A-Un.

"Oh, I promise, I won't." Sydney smirked down at the imp, and she turned her head to whisper in Rin's ear.

"Do you think we're just going to be moving in a straight line for a little while?"

Rin looked at her oddly, but nodded. "I assume so, but I can't be sure! Why?"

Sydney's eyes flashed with something Rin couldn't quite read, and said human girl squealed as the dog demoness took off, sprinting forward in a fantastic show of speed.

"At least we're not slowing you down!" Sydney called back to the party behind them, who rapidly grew smaller as she moved forward.

Rin began giggling madly as Sydney made a sort of game out of the trip, leaping up above the trees and letting the little girl see the sky as they coasted along.

Sydney could faintly hear the screaming of Jaken in the background, and as she came down below the trees, Sydney was struck by a strange sensation: she smelled something strange, and saw a dark shadow pass overhead.

Glancing upwards, she saw huge, demonic bird swoop for her, and barely miss: cursing under her breath, she leapt up and deposited Rin at the bottom of a tree.

"Stay here for just a moment: I'm sure Sesshomaru and the others will be along shortly, but I think we've got company." She flashed a smile at the girl, who nodded dutifully, and Sydney leapt to the top of the tree, perching on one of the highest branches.

"Yes, Miss Sydney! Go and win!" Rin chirped, and Sydney fought to avoid rolling her eyes at the title.

 _Sesshomaru said to take care of her; I hope this qualifies._

As she landed, the bird demon turned and hovered in the air, its furious orange eyes met with her multi-colored ones, and she let out a whistle.

"Damn, you're ugly. I think I liked it better when I couldn't see your face."

The thing was vaguely shaped like a vulture, but its huge eyes and horrific talons defined its demonic origin.

"Wretched bitch: you thought you could hide from me?! Give me the stone, before I end your life!" It hissed, and Sydney quirked an eyebrow.

"Eh? You don't look familiar, and trust me, I'd remember meeting you. And yeah, can't give you the stone: maybe another trinket would suit you better!"

At her words, the vulture let out an absurdly loud shriek, and charged for her. Sydney's eyes widened momentarily, before she jumped up, missing the attack by a fraction of an inch.

"You dare insult me? I am Mōkinomo, and you will die for your insolence!" It cawed, before launching another attack.

This time, Sydney readied herself, and as its beak went to run her through, she caught it, managing to hold it back.

Mōkinomo continued to try and push forward, and Sydney merely chuckled, before letting fire catch along her palms, burning the creature's beak and beginning to singe its eyes.

It screamed something awful, and when the flames licked at its eyelids, it shook Sydney free, and she yelped, jumping to another tree.

The vulture demon flew upwards, smoke rising from its charred body, but did not retreat.

"Haven't you had enough? I really don't enjoy the smell of burning vulture; it's not exactly appealing."

Her brazen comments sent the thing into another frenzy, as it opened its mouth and launched another attack, this time in the form of a ball of lightning. Sydney darted to another branch, glancing up at the now-burning tree top.

"And that, you know, is how you start forest fires." She commented, before dodging yet another attack, and going lower into the trees.

 _If I can get him closer to the ground, I can restrain him, and get this over with…_

Finally, the vulture swept in for another attack, and Sydney sent several vines to wrap around its wings, preventing its movement. At this moment, Mōkinomo glared forward at her, and fought to free itself.

"You have no true power! You fight using the stone; what happened to the so-called all-powerful dog demon, eh? You are nothing!" It cackled, and Sydney grit her teeth in anger; it was right in one respect, and she hated that.

"Sorry, buddy, but I'm not Michiko. I'll be sure to leave a message."

She summoned the fire into her hands once more, and this time, fueled by her frustration at its comments, she swept it at the demon, each blast catching a different part of its body, charring feathers and skin alike.

The pain sent it into even more rage, however, and as the flames burned away the vines, it managed to propel itself upward, weakly flapping into the distance.

Sydney went to pursue it, but was stopped by a familiar sensation: two golden eyes burning a hole in her. She sighed, before dropping down below the trees again.

As she met the cold gaze of Sesshomaru, she offered a halfhearted smile, before she was tackled around the leg by a small, orange-clad girl.

"Miss Sydney, that was fantastic! Once Lord Sesshomaru caught up, we watched from over there! You were amazing!" Rin gushed, meeting Sydney's confused look, and guided her eyes to a portion of the forest where, yes, one could've seen the majority of the battle.

"Well, thank you, Rin. I hope I put on a good show." She smiled, kneeling down and pinching the girl's cheek playfully. Said child giggled, before batting away Sydney's clawed hand.

Upon rising to her feet, Sydney realized that Sesshomaru's golden orbs were still locked on to her. Meeting his scrutiny with a shrug, she stepped forward.

"Is something wr-"

"Do not run off again. We begin your training tonight; you are severely inexperienced." He cut in, and Sydney's eyes widened as he walked past her, taking the lead.

Before she could say anything in response, she heard Jaken's voice from behind them, and turned her head to see that A-Un and Jaken were only just now approaching.

"You ungrateful creature! Lord Sesshomaru allows you to travel with us, and then you steal Rin and dash off into the trees?! I have never-"

"Knock it off. Let's go." Sydney stopped him, countenance severely less cheerful than before, and she turned, following solemnly behind Sesshomaru, not bothering to acknowledge any further attempts to speak to her.

 _I thought I did fine? I handled it, no one got hurt. Rin is safe, she said she enjoyed watching! Why are they all so pissed off at me?_

As she studied the back of Sesshomaru's head, she pursed her lips, considering her options.

 _I suppose I should just… leave it alone?_

Coming to a conclusion, she took a deep breath, and picked up the pace so that she was walking beside the demon lord, who didn't even cast his eyes her way.

"Sesshomaru?"

Nothing.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

Becoming increasingly frustrated, she stepped closer to the demon, and waved a hand in front of his face, which was swiftly swatted aside with a resounding smack.

Sydney yelped, snatching back her arm, and shot him a glare.

"Oh great and powerful dog lord, master of –"

"If you continue this, I will kill you."

Sydney paused in her assault, and he continued walking. She considered his words, and gulped.

 _I never really have had a sense of self-preservation, I suppose._

Swallowing her pride, she approached again, this time less aggressive, and with her shoulders slumped, twiddling her thumbs.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I'm just sorry. I apologize for all of… that." She said quietly, trusting he'd hear her.

Upon not receiving a response, she sighed, and turned to walk back to Rin and the others.

"You show promise, but need restraint. You need to control yourself; you completely lack any idea of your demonic power. I am not familiar with the other power you wield, but when training with me, you will not use it."

In what she considered to be the longest strain of words she'd ever heard come from his mouth, Sydney's spirits were lifted slightly, as his words weren't entirely disheartening.

 _Somehow I feel like that's the most I can expect out of this guy._

"I understand. Thank you." She replied, before retreating to Rin and A-Un, seeing Jaken sprint to take her place beside Sesshomaru.

A feeling of contentment spread over her as Rin began chattering away, and Sydney felt at peace.

The mid-day sun peeked through the trees, and its warmth was calming.

 _I feel like I'll begin to enjoy this bunch of misfits._

* * *

After several hours of relatively monotonous travel, Sydney was beginning to think twice about her previous prediction. She had, however, gotten a solid grasp of the dynamic within the party.

Jaken followed Sesshomaru, almost on his heels, while the aforementioned demon lord stalked ahead, silent, cold, and leisurely. Any interaction between the two was very one-sided, as Jaken struggled to obtain his master's attention, and typically failed.

Behind them, Rin rode on A-Un, as Sydney walked beside the two, idly braiding pieces of her hair and attempting to remain awake.

 _How long has it been since I've slept? It's got to be over twenty four hours, right?_

Finally, Sesshomaru paused in his gait, just in front of a small clearing in the forest.

"We will make camp here."

Incredibly relieved to hear those words, as Rin, Jaken and A-Un went into the clearing and began setting up camp, Sydney went to brush by Sesshomaru, and was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Come."

He turned and began walking in another direction, and Sydney looked ready to cry.

 _So close, and yet so far._

She followed wordlessly, and eventually, they came to a break in the forest, where a wide field spread out in front of them. Sydney gazed out at it in awe; it was beautiful.

Sesshomaru watched as she stepped out into the field, and spun around, arms swinging about her.

 _Such a strange woman. I have never met anyone like her… and I'm unsure of whether that is a good thing or not. Her aura is immense, yet she seems oblivious, and relies on that other power to defend herself. How is it she knows nothing of her abilities?_

Despite the many questions that ran through his head, Sesshomaru remained silent, and merely observed as the girl stopped to play with some flowers, and overall, seemed to ignore his presence.

 _Hm. Perhaps there is a way I can get my answers._

"Woman."

Sesshomaru's voice broke Sydney's moment of bliss, and she quirked a brow at his manner of calling her.

"Sydney. My name is Sydney." She corrected, standing up and crossing her arms, but not moving from where she stood.

"We will spar: for every hit I land on you, you answer one of my questions." He said, and Sydney's mouth fell open a bit.

"Wha- I mean, sure, sparring seems like a good idea, but I don't see what you hope to gain here. Also, what if I land a hit on you?" She countered, and for the first time, she saw a small smile spread across his face.

"You will not use your other abilities, and I will use none of my weapons; refer only to your own demonic power. We begin when you are ready." As he spoke, Sydney grew more and more irritated.

 _It's like he can't even hear me!_

"Fine, then. Let's go!" Just as the words left her mouth, Sydney let out a shriek as Sesshomaru lunged for her, and she managed to roll out of the way.

"Jesus, you're eager!" As she rose to her feet, she was forced to leap into the air to avoid the grasp of Sesshomaru's claws, and she danced out of his reach, restraining herself from calling upon fire or anything else.

They began a dance in itself, with him on the relentless offensive, and her continuously dodging his blows. As she began to tire, however, she cursed as his claws managed to tear a piece of her skirt away, and she looked up at him in anger.

"Damn it, I only have so many of these, you know!" She wailed, before ducking one more time.

Making eye contact with the demon lord, Sydney's eyes widened as she saw the mild amusement on his face.

 _He's just playing with me! He's not even trying!_

She grit her teeth, and bent her legs, before leaping at him, her claws swiping out, but she grunted in pain as he elbowed her in the stomach, sending her reeling backwards.

"Who are you?"

She glanced up at him as he paused his assault, and he didn't even seem winded. "What do you mean?"

"You're more than what you say. Explain."

Sydney realized what he meant, and wasn't sure how to respond.

"It's a long story, honestly, and-"

"We have plenty of time." Sesshomaru stood, waiting, and the two dog demons engaged in a brief staring contest, where Sydney eventually huffed and looked away, crossing her arms in front of her.

"You're not going to believe me. You'll think I've gone mad." She accused, and Sesshomaru didn't flinch. He continued to look at her, expectantly, and she finally took a deep breath, and gave in.

She told him of how she had come to Japan from a land across the ocean, and how she had followed Kagome down the well, and how she had met Michiko, what had happened between the two, and how the fight against Tsubaki led her to seek him out.

Upon finishing her tale, even Sesshomaru's eyes were slightly wider than before.

 _I knew that there was something off about her, but I did not expect anything like this. Not even remotely._

Sydney cringed under his gaze, unsure of what his reaction would be: would he turn her away immediately? Would he think she was absolutely insane?

As many possibilities ran through her mind, she cried out as Sesshomaru launched another attack.

"What was that for?!" She yelled, landing back on the ground after leaping aside to dodge.

"We are not finished sparring yet."

Upon his response, Sydney swore her eye twitched, and she shook her head, resolving to make it a true sparring match, if that was what he sought.

She went on the offensive this time, trying to remember something, anything about the demonic abilities she'd picked up, and could vaguely remember using some sort of poison in her claws.

 _Yes… against Azami, the bat demon! I killed her with it!_

Seeing Sesshomaru begin to rush at her again, she focused her energy into her hand, and saw the poison begin to drip from her claws again. She smirked a bit, and swung at him as he came close, singing the tips of his hair.

"Good."

Just as quickly as he offered her a word of encouragement, his punch into her back sent her flying, and she skidded on her heels, trying to avoid falling down.

"Ow, ow, ow. Damn, you really pack a punch…" She grumbled, rolling her shoulder and stretching her back, assuming that he was going to stop and ask her another question.

He paused, and waited a moment, as if considering something.

"Do it again." He ordered, and Sydney looked up at him in confusion.

"Don't you have any more questions?" She inquired, and he simply looked at her.

"I will ask my questions later. Now, do it again. Come at me."

Sydney shrugged, but conjured the poison back to her claws once again, and rushed at him, at which point he shoved her away roughly, and she didn't land the hit.

"You are sloppy. In a true battle, you'd be dead." He scoffed, and she growled slightly.

She turned back to him, closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and, concentrating the toxicity in her hands, she leapt for him. However, this time, she saw which way he went to dodge, and she swiveled, sweeping in from below and striking directly across the armor on his chest.

Seeing the poison melt away at some of the metal, Sesshomaru stopped, before nodding slightly.

"That is enough for tonight. We continue in the morning."

As he turned and began walking away, Sydney stood, in a sort of daze, before hurrying to follow him.

They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, and upon reaching the camp, Sydney realized that the sun was setting, and twilight was beginning to fall. As she entered behind Sesshomaru, Rin sat up from her position next to A-Un and greeted them happily.

"Welcome back, Lord Sesshomaru and Miss Sydney! Jaken and I set up camp, just as you requested!" The girl chirped, and as Sesshomaru said nothing, simply sitting down and closing his eyes beneath a tree, Sydney knelt down to her.

"Thank you very much, Rin! Have you eaten yet?" She asked, and Rin shook her head.

"I was just about to go find some! Do you think there is a river or stream nearby?"

Sydney lifted her head and sniffed the air a bit, and definitely could smell water. Smiling, she nodded at Rin.

"I can smell water, and I think it's very close by. Would you like me to accompany you?"

"Of course! Lead the way!"

Just as Sydney and Rin went to walk into the trees, a shrill voice sent Sydney's hair on end.

"Where do you think you're going? It's much too late to go finding food now, you're just going to have to wait!" Jaken ordered, and Sydney whirled on him, her demonic aura flaring slightly.

"She is a child, and she is hungry: I will protect her, and you will sit here, and shut your mouth, as you have nothing relevant to say. Thanks." She snapped, before turning on her heel, picking up Rin, and storming into the forest in the direction of the water.

As Jaken went to follow and spout some other nonsense, a rock knocked him in the head, and he fell to the ground, whimpering slightly.

"Jaken. Enough."

At the words of his master, Jaken swallowed loudly, and plopped down beside A-Un, still smarting from the demoness' scolding.

Further into the forest, Sydney moved quickly, hearing the sound of rushing water become clearer and clearer, and simultaneously hearing her stomach growl louder and louder.

"Miss Sydney, do you eat human food?" Rin's question caught Sydney off guard, and she gave the girl an odd look, but nodded.

"Of course I do! Why would you ask that?"

"Well, Lord Sesshomaru says he doesn't eat human food, and you two are the same kind of demon, right?"

At Rin's second question, Sydney realized something: she truly didn't know anything about dog demons.

 _Am I not supposed to eat human food now? What else has changed about me?_

As she zoned into her own thoughts, Sydney stopped hearing Rin talking, until a cold splash of water brought her back to reality. Looking down, she saw that she'd almost walked right into the water.

"Miss Sydney? Are you okay?" Rin asked, concerned, and Sydney merely laughed.

"Yes, Rin, sorry. I was just thinking about something. Now, do you know how to catch fish?" Sydney stepped away from the stream as Rin jumped up and down in excitement.

"Of course! Just watch, I'm really good at it!" She proclaimed, before stepping into the water, and reaching for the fish with her hands.

Quirking an eyebrow, Sydney considered how she could help the child; she was starving.

Holding out a hand, Sydney swirled her finger in a circle, pulling the water in a small whirlpool, where Rin could more easily grab the fish. Although she struggled to maintain it, she held it enough for Rin to catch one fish. Watching the water shift in front of her, Rin looked up at Sydney in surprise, and gasped when she saw that yes, Sydney was controlling the water.

Deep in concentration, and biting her tongue to keep focused, Sydney continued the cycle until Rin had caught several fish.

Upon seeing that the task was finished, Sydney released her hold, and the water returned to flowing downstream.

"That was so cool! How do you do it? Please, you've got to teach me too!" Rin pleaded, and Sydney chuckled a bit.

"I don't know if you can do it, Rin: you're a human! But, I could never catch the fish the way you do; I think we make a great team." She assured the little girl, whose face lit up at the praise.

"You're right! Let's go back and cook it, though; I'm super hungry." Hearing her stomach growl again, Rin began walking back to camp, holding her fish, and Sydney walked alongside her, until they saw the flickering light of the campfire through the trees.

Entering the campsite, Rin held the fish up for all to see, and waved them about.

"Look how many fish we caught!" She exclaimed, and Jaken looked up, his eyes widening.

"Very good, Rin! Now, you just need to cook it." He pointed out, and Sydney smirked, taking one of the fish from Rin's hands.

"I believe I can take care of that one. Rin, leave these with me, and go get some sticks, please."

Rin immediately hurried off to follow Sydney's instructions, as Sydney picked up one of the fish in two fingers, cringing at the slimy feel of its scales against her skin.

Despite this, she wrapped both hands around the fish, and heated up her hands, so that they were nearly enflamed, but not quite. When the fish began to smoke slightly, she turned to Rin, who approached her with several sticks, and handed it off, and then she began again, for all six fish.

When dinner was completed, Sydney tried to distribute the sticks, but found the task to be more difficult than she'd anticipated.

As she went to hand A and Un two fish, Rin piped up.

"Actually, A-Un doesn't eat meat or fish." Sydney's brow twitched at this, and she huffed slightly, before turning to Jaken, and offering one to the small imp, whose bulbous eyes blinked at her for a moment as she held it out to him.

He hesitantly took it, eyeing it from all angles, before glaring at her skeptically.

"Jaken, I didn't poison the thing. I cooked it. You're welcome." She rolled her eyes, and stepped towards Sesshomaru, who lay with his eyes closed, but she sensed he wasn't asleep. Wrapping the fish in a leaf, she left it in front of him, before turning and sitting down by Rin and A-Un.

She pulled her bag from the dragon, and took out a small bag, depositing the leftover fish inside, and tucking it back into one of the pockets.

Seeing Rin had finished eating and was beginning to daze off, Sydney crawled over to the bottom of a tree, and, taking out a small blanket she'd brought with her, settled down to finally get some rest.

Despite not being able to shake the feeling of eyes on her, she swiftly fell asleep, with the fire casting slight shadows on her small form.

As the rest of the group each gave way to slumber, Sesshomaru's eyes remained open, and fixed on the newest addition to his party.

She puzzled him in so many ways, despite having answered his major question during their sparring match.

 _If you could even call that sparring._

Looking back on it, Sesshomaru recognized that the girl was powerful; she merely had no idea of how to harness that power. Yet, this other power, this stone of life, she seemed more comfortable with.

Nothing about her made sense. He could tell she spoke the truth; she even possessed the same scandalous and odd clothing that Inuyasha's woman, Kagome, wore, proving there was some truth to her tale.

Yet, he had somehow taken on the task of training her.

 _She seeks to battle Naraku with the others… and yet, she seems so fragile._

After facing her in battle and seeing her fight, he knew she was far from it, but her appearance betrayed that: she was considerably small, even smaller than his mother, and seemed unfamiliar with battle. She knew nothing of being a dog demon, and made that quite clear: it was dangerous for her, and irritating for him.

His eyes narrowing, Sesshomaru thought of her infuriating personality, which was even more upsetting than her lack of battle experience.

 _She treats everything like a game: she is insolent, arrogant, and childish. Yet… she seems intelligent in other ways. She and Rin have immediately become close; she has her wrapped around her finger. How?_

He simply couldn't pinpoint it, but something about her made her incredibly attractive to Rin.

She left Jaken speechless on more than one occasion with her verbal lashings, and despite Jaken's wish to pretend otherwise, her appearance certainly contributed to it.

Her markings were similar to him, in the way that most dog demons' were, and yet, the coloring of her hair, and the marking on her forehead were unfamiliar to him. It was clear that they had come when she and the original keeper of the Seimei no Ishi had merged, and despite wracking his brain, he could not recall anything about such a thing.

Closing his eyes, he pushed the girl from his thoughts, but one thing lingered.

 _She needs new clothes. I will not have one traveling alongside me dressed in such a way._

* * *

 **Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know what you think!**


	9. Some Attempts At Gratitude

**Hello everyone; long time no see! I apologize for the long pause: I had some difficult home situational changes and went off to college, and I'm now home on winter break, and knew I had to do some writing! I also unfortunately lost my old files on this story, so I have to re-write those. But nothing will stop me from continuing this story! I greatly appreciate your patience, and hope my writing has grown since the last time I published. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

 **The usual disclaimer: I own no characters or details except my original work (Sydney, Michiko, etc..).**

* * *

 _Closing his eyes, he pushed the girl from his thoughts, but one thing lingered._

 _She needs new clothes. I will not have one travelling alongside me dressed in such a way._

* * *

As the soft rays of moonlight shifted to the golden hues of sunlight, Sydney began to stir, and her brows furrowed as she opened her eyes. She let out a contented sigh and sat up, stretching her arms out and hearing her joints pop; a sure sign of a good rest. She scanned the camp, and noted that she was the first to rise: Rin, Jaken and A-Un still slept soundly. However, as she looked to Sesshomaru's typical place, it was empty. She chuckled to herself.

 _Of course, he would be an early riser._

She stood, and took a deep breath, still appreciating the freshness of the air, so different from that of her childhood.

She stepped towards Rin and gently moved a lock of hair that had fallen over her face, smiling slightly. Moving away, she walked towards the nearby river, lips pursed in thought.

 _How am I so comfortable? This is all so strange and outlandish- yet, I slept like a baby. I feel safer here than I did at home. Is it Rin? Sesshomaru? God, Sesshomaru… what a weirdo._

Smirking to herself, she reached the water's edge, and glanced down. Meeting her reflection's gaze, her smile faded, and her eyes narrowed.

 _I'm still changing._

The girl looking back at her had whiter hair than the last time she'd checked, and her blue eye had flecks of gold throughout. She brought her hand up and ran her claws through her hair, and sighed.

 _God, I can't keep staring at myself like this. I'm confirming my friends' suspicions of narcissism._

Upon thinking of her prior friendships, her face fell, and she stepped away from the water. Endless questions began to race through her mind.

 _Do they miss me? Will I ever see them again? Would they want to see me, like this? Will they forget about me? What about Mom?_

She was jerked from her trance by a smell she was growing familiar with, and an approaching demonic aura.

Looking over her shoulder, she met Sesshomaru's gaze as he stepped out from the trees.

"You left."

Quirking an eyebrow, she turned to face him, arms crossed.

"I just needed a walk. I'm fine. Besides, you weren't around when I woke up." She shrugged.

"Hn. Come." He began walking, and Sydney let out an exasperated breath before following.

"You know, I'd appreciate being asked politely. 'Please, come with me!' or 'Let's go this way!' would get you a lot farther than treating me like an animal."

Per the usual, it was as though Sesshomaru hadn't heard her, and her eyes narrowed, but Sydney let the matter go.

They walked for some time, and Sydney was struck with a strong, mixed scent as they walked.

 _People? Lots of them… with animals? Wait, wait; a village!_

As the forest thinned, she could see the village in the distance, and she looked to Sesshomaru.

"So, what are we actually doing?"

Sesshomaru paused briefly, eyes flickering to Sydney.

"You will not wear such a thing while travelling with this Sesshomaru."

Picking up his previous pace before Sydney could respond, he set off towards the village, and Sydney followed, catching up quickly. She considered giving a retort, before glancing down at herself.

Realistically, he was right. Her uniform was highly impractical for such a journey, not to mention covered in dirt and blood, with tears in it from their sparring. Resigned, she kept her mouth shut as they approached the villagers.

However, they were not exactly welcomed: some people turned and fled, others took to hushed whispers about the demons, and some took hold of their weapons. None dared attack first.

Meeting the harsh glares being shot in their direction, Sydney glared back, her lips curling in a snarl at one man who looked ready to approach. Sesshomaru ignored them all, walking up to one hut and heading inside. Sydney stepped in behind him, and saw an older woman who didn't look frightened in the slightest.

"Lord Sesshomaru, good day. Come for Rin again?" Her voice croaked, lilted slightly and full of mirth.

"Not today. I need a kimono."

Sesshomaru moved to the side, and the old woman then noticed Sydney, who stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say. She offered a smile, and the woman chuckled.

"Aha, I see. Step this way, child. Sesshomaru, I think you should wait outside."

Expression ever unchanging, Sesshomaru nodded and stepped out as Sydney walked forward.

The woman circled Sydney, examining her clothes and her frame, as she began to speak.

"What is your name, hm?"

"Sydney, ma'am."

"Never heard a name like that before. Are you from around here?"

"No, not at all. Just trying to find my way around, really."

"And how ever did you come to travel with Lord Sesshomaru? He's very attached to his little pack, and I didn't expect it to change."

"Well, he's helping me with something at the moment. You're right, though! He seems-"

"Take this off."

At the woman's command, Sydney stuttered a bit and gave her a look.

"Come now, child. I have something in mind for you but I need you to cooperate with me. I don't bite."

Nodding, Sydney took her tattered clothes off, ignoring the odd look she received at her undergarments.

"So, uh- how do you know Sesshomaru?" She asked, hoping to lessen the awkwardness as the woman got to work tailoring.

"Sesshomaru comes to me for Rin's clothing. Poor thing had nothing when he found her. I make sure she's dressed well, and it seems he intends the same for you."

Smiling to herself, Sydney thought about Sesshomaru going shopping for Rin. Somehow, she could picture it. He did seem quite attached to her.

"Well, thank you. What is your name, by the way?" Sydney asked, as the woman pinned and stitched the fabric around her.

"Kaya. I expect this won't be the last we see of each other, so do remember it. Now, step this way, and tell me what you think."

Sydney did as she was told, looking into a mirror, and her eyes widened. She turned to either side, admiring the intricate work on the kimono that she wore, and a smile spread across her cheeks. The pattern was elegant, with dark blues and white forming a floral pattern, and a simple obi. It was beautiful, but also practical, cut in such a way that she could easily move her legs.

Turning to Kaya, she couldn't help but hug the old woman, who gently pat her back in response.

"Thank you so, so much! I can't tell you how grateful I am- this is absolutely gorgeous!"

As she gushed, she pulled away, and Kaya hushed her.

"Stop, stop it now. You're very welcome. All I ask in return is that you take care of Sesshomaru- you hear me? He's more high strung than he looks."

Laughing, Sydney nodded.

"I understand."

Smirking, Kaya called Sesshomaru back, and he was immediately inside. Sydney raised an eyebrow.

 _Was he just standing out there the whole time?_

Saying nothing, Sesshomaru dropped a bag of coin into Kaya's hand, and walked out. Sydney rolled her eyes, thanked Kaya again, and followed suit. Kaya stepped to the door and watched the pair leave the village, smiling. She shook her head, and walked back inside.

* * *

As Sydney and Sesshomaru drew closer to camp, Sydney glanced up at the ever-stoic man beside her. He stared straight ahead as they walked, and her brows furrowed a bit in frustration.

 _It's like I'm not even here. Do I really have to do this? No, Sydney, stop- suck it up. Don't be a brat._

"Thank you, Sesshomaru."

As the words left her mouth, Sydney looked carefully for any response, and she caught his eyes flicker to her for a moment.

She waited a moment, in the silence, for something, anything else that might indicate that she'd been heard, and her eyes narrowed as she prepared to repeat herself.

"I don't need your thanks."

At that, Sydney stopped in her tracks, and Sesshomaru continued ahead. Gritting her teeth to avoid saying something she might regret, Sydney exhaled deeply, and followed him into camp.

Jaken was, as always, the first to notice their return.

"Lord Sesshomaru! So glad you're back- we weren't sure where you had gone! Not that I would doubt you for even a second, but it was a bit-"

The imp was halted by a rock to the forehead, and Rin rushed forward to greet the dog demons.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Miss Sydney!"

The little girl's smile was contagious, and Sydney grinned down at her as the girl noticed the new kimono. She slowly approached, and reached out for the silken fabric. It was similar in composition to Rin's, albeit more intricate in design.

"This is beautiful! It really does suit you, Miss Sydney!"

Sydney crouched down and picked Rin up, holding her in one arm.

"Why thank you, Rin. Sesshomaru got it for me." Sydney glanced over at the demon lord, who stood, waiting. He met her gaze for a moment, cold and without expression, and Sydney pursed her lips in irritation. He maintained eye contact as he began to walk away, and Sydney got the sense that he wanted her to follow.

Looking to the little girl in her arms, Sydney offered a reassuring smile.

"I've got to go for now, Rin, but I'll be back soon!"

Jogging to catch up with him, Sydney followed in silence. She was still irritated at his earlier attitude, and intended to make that clear.

Sesshomaru stopped upon reaching a clearing, and turned to Sydney, tossing something at her.

Clumsily catching it in her hands, Sydney realized that it was a sheathed sword. Brows furrowed, she gently grasped the handle and unsheathed the blade. It was a katana, with a blue-grey handle and a flawless steel finish. Shocked, she looked up at Sesshomaru, who simply watched as she examined his gift.

"We will spar."

Nodding slowly, she dropped the sheath and raised her blade.

"You should know I've never handled a- JESUS!" Sesshomaru came at her before she could finish her sentence, and she struggled to block the blow.

She stumbled backwards, and stared indignantly at him.

"Less talking."

Coming for her again, Sydney was barely better prepared, and this time managed to jump to the side, daring a strike at Sesshomaru's shoulder, and was immediately parried.

Sydney took the initiative this time, rolling around Sesshomaru and trying to attack from behind, but was not quite fast enough; Sesshomaru turned quickly and the two blades met in a clash of steel. In terms of brute strength, she was no match for him, and they both knew that. She began to tire as they pushed against each other, and she released momentarily, coming back with a stab to his midsection. She thought for a moment she had him, but in a flash, she was knocked to the side, somersaulting back to her feet.

As she turned to meet her opponent once again, she ducked to avoid his blade yet again, and grimaced.

 _I can't even land a hit on him, and he's obviously holding back: this is just embarrassing!_

Deciding to take a risk, Sydney slowly backed away from Sesshomaru as they began a sort of dance around each other. Darting forward, Sesshomaru began to dodge and strike, as before, but his eyes widened slightly when she leapt into the air, right over him, and as she fell, managed to land a hit on his sleeve.

Sesshomaru briefly examined the sliced fabric, before sheathing his blade and turning to head back to camp. Sydney let out a sigh of relief, grabbing her own sheath from the ground and following suit.

Noting the lack of a certain demoness by his side, Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder to see the girl following some distance behind him, running her fingers over the sword he had given her.

The grip was tightly bound in leather, with a crescent shaped pommel that complimented the slender blade well. Sydney delicately felt along the edges, remembering how easily it cut through Sesshomaru's sleeve. She was so lost in thought that she failed to recognize the eyes on her, and Sesshomaru paused in his stride until she nearly ran into him.

"Sorry! I wasn't paying attention… actually, Sesshomaru?" She spoke quickly, blushing slightly at having been so absentminded that she literally walked into another person. As they began walking again, she kept pace this time.

"Hn."

Rolling her eyes at his usual response, she continued.

"Does it have a name?"

Sesshomaru did not respond, and Sydney assumed he was simply going to ignore her again, deciding not to push the issue.

"You should name it." He replied, and Sydney almost choked at having been acknowledged. She looked up at him incredulously, but he did not meet her eyes.

Smiling to herself, she began to think of options as they returned to camp, and met with Rin, Jaken, and A-Un.

Jaken paid attention to Sesshomaru exclusively, pestering him as he moved to sit, while Rin rushed to Sydney.

"Miss Sydney, is that your sword?" She asked, and Sydney placed it in her hands, watching her awe as she touched every detail.

"It is. Its name is Shinko." As Sydney talked to Rin about the blade, Sesshomaru leaned back, seemingly content.

 _A fine name._

Sydney eventually took Shinko back, tucking it into the side of her obi. She then realized how exhausted she was. Not to mention sweaty.

"Rin, would you like to come bathe with me? I'm heading to the river." Leaning down to her, Rin nodded excitedly.

"Lord Sesshomaru, is that alright?" Rin asked, looking over to the demon lord who now rested soundly under his tree, eyes closed.

"Do as you please."

With that verbal cue, Sydney grabbed her bag, and set off for the river.

"Look! The moon is about to disappear! A shooting star!" Rin exclaimed, pausing and clasping her hands over her heart.

 _I wish I could stay with Lord Sesshomaru forever and ever…_

"Rin. Don't fall behind." Looking up at Lord Sesshomaru's command, Rin saw Sydney beckoning.

"Yes, my lord!" She replied, and ran to catch up.

"Lord Sesshomaru, are you certain letting that woman run off with Rin is the wisest decision? I only ask-"

"Leave them be."

Jaken, having been verbally struck enough for one day, began preparing a camp-fire, actively avoiding the gaze of the rest of the party.

At that moment, A-Un let out a troubled groan. Sesshomaru looked over, puzzled, and stood, looking around.

 _Hm. Something feels strange. A-Un, why are you so restless?_

By the river, Sydney and Rin disrobed, and Sydney took her shampoo, conditioner, and shower gels from her bag. Rin sniffed at the products, confused but intrigued, and Sydney laughed softly, handing each one to her.

"These are what I use to keep myself clean and smelling nice." She explained, and Rin inhaled deeply of the shower gel, which smelled of cherry cola, a scent completely unfamiliar to the girl. She loved it.

Taking Rin's hand, the two stepped into the water, and Sydney washed Rin's hair first, showing her how to use each product, before leaving her to her own devices. She got to work untangling her hair, and washing off the dirt and grime that had quickly accumulated over the past day or so. She closed her eyes and relished in this chance to relax and remember old times, being at home. A sad smile came to her lips, and she sighed.

Rin noticed the change in mood, and swam over to the older girl.

"Miss Sydney, what's wrong? Are you okay? You seem sad!" She said.

"No, no, I'm fine. Just reminiscing, you know? Of home. I love being with you and Sesshomaru, but sometimes I miss my family and friends." Sydney explained, and Rin nodded in understanding.

"But you do like Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin continued, and Sydney quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Of course! I mean, I like him well enough, or I wouldn't be here. Sometimes I feel like the feeling isn't mutual." Sydney rolled her eyes, dipping under the water to rinse out her shampoo and conditioner. Rin mimicked this, despite Sydney having already rinsed out her hair, making the older girl chuckle slightly.

"That's not true! Lord Sesshomaru really likes having you around. He gives you so many gifts!" Rin countered.

"More out of necessity than anything else, I think. But it's no big deal: I think I'll grow on him. As long as you like me, that's all that matters!" Sydney lifted Rin out of the water, and Rin began to laugh, struggling to be put down.

Unbeknownst to them, golden eyes narrowed within the darkness of the trees, and a tall figure walked away from the riverside.

Grinning mischievously, Sydney swung Rin back and forth, before tossing her up and into the water, eliciting a small shriek and lots of laughter. Rin splashed Sydney with all her might, and Sydney wiped the water from her face, struggling to stop laughing enough to breathe.

This back-and-forth continued for some time, until the only light was from the moon reflecting into the water. Sydney looked up, noting this, and halted her assault.

"We should probably head back now; the others will be worried."

Rin pouted, but realizing the truth in Sydney's words, followed her to the river's edge.

Sydney heated up the air enough to dry them off, and they put their clothes back on, before beginning to walk back to camp.

When they returned, Jaken had already lit the fire, and a deer lie on the ground in front of it, ready to be cut and cooked. However, Sesshomaru was nowhere to be seen. Thinking nothing of it, Sydney moved to set down her bag in her usual spot, and found something else waiting for her.

A small blue hair-pin, with flowers in vibrant shades of indigo and azure, and a black tassel. It complimented her kimono beautifully, and Sydney handled it delicately, lifting it and using it to tuck a piece of her hair away. She thought for a moment, perplexed.

 _Did Sesshomaru get this for me? This has no practical purpose… that's so strange. And… sweet?_

"Jaken, where is Sesshomaru?" Sydney asked. The demon turned away from her, arms crossed.

"That's Lord Sesshomaru to you, woman! And if I knew, I wouldn't tell you!" Rolling her eyes, Sydney ignored the little creature, and knelt down to Rin.

"Rin, why don't you start cutting up the meat? We can cook it when I get back. I'm going to go and find Sesshomaru." Rin nodded happily, and ran over to begin her task. Jaken rose, sputtering, at Sydney's words.

"You can't follow him! What he does away from us is his own business- we are to stay here and wait patiently!"

Ignoring the imp yet again, Sydney sniffed the air, finding the strongest trail she could, and set off. However, something else was in the air, something only vaguely familiar, but she didn't like it. She moved faster.

As Sydney faded in to the distance, Jaken began to sweat, thinking back on his previous conversation with his Lord.

" _It sparkled! Hehe, a star just sparkled! Did you see, Lord Sesshomaru? H-hello?" Jaken stammered, recognizing his Lord was not listening to a word he said, staring straight ahead. Jaken sighed._

' _Lately Lord Sesshomaru does things that even I, his vassal, can't fathom! I'm so lonely… That foolish child is ignorant of my woes, and does nothing but sleep the days away, and that woman- dear me, that woman… since Lord Sesshomaru brought that mysterious demon into our lives, things have felt so-'_

" _Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken exclaimed, being jerked from his internal monologue as he nearly ran into the back of his Lord's leg._

" _His scent is in the air."_

 _Jaken, sniffing intently, did note the familiar odor of a certain half demon._

" _You're right! It's the scent of that Naraku fellow who was so rude to you, Lord Sesshomaru! Is he nearby?"_

" _Jaken. Stay here- and do not follow me. Do not let Sydney follow me, either."_

 _Nodding, Jaken watched as Sesshomaru sped off._

Shaking his head, Jaken gulped. He was nervous. Very nervous.

 _Surely Lord Sesshomaru would know that I cannot control that infernal demoness? She is so stubborn! Oh dear, I hope he doesn't punish me for her disobedience…_

* * *

Sesshomaru paused as he cleared the tree-line, Naraku's scent becoming stronger than ever. However, another familiar scent also grew stronger, and he turned to see Sydney come into view. He noticed the headpiece she wore, and if not for the context, would have been pleased.

"What are you doing here?"

Sydney was shocked by his stern tone, somehow different than usual, and raised her hands in surrender.

"Not trying to bug you. I just came to thank you- for everything. For this, as well." She gestured to the gift, and smiled.

"I told you, I don't need your thanks. Leave." Sesshomaru ordered, eyes narrowed. Sydney could sense something was off, and a furious wind confirmed her suspicions, as her hair flew in the breeze, and she gripped the pin to ensure it wouldn't fly out. As she was about to retort, the scent from earlier grew much stronger, and a woman dropped to kneel in front of Sesshomaru. Kagura, from earlier.

Sydney grimaced at the sight, something that did not go unnoticed by Sesshomaru.

"You!" She snarled, and Kagura smirked up at the pair.

"Yo."

"Yo yourself. If you think for one second-"

"Settle down girl. I'm not here for you." Sydney was cut off, and glared daggers at Kagura, stepping closer, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

"Sesshomaru. I assume you came here following Naraku's scent as well?" Kagura stood, resting her fan at her side.

"Wind sorceress Kagura, I recall." Sesshomaru stated, and Sydney's eyes widened.

 _They know each other?_

Kagura smirked.

"You remember me. I'm very flattered."

Sesshomaru gripped his blade, and Sydney followed suit, still eyeing Kagura with hostility.

"Take your hand from your sword. I didn't come to fight, Sesshomaru, and you can call your pet off as well. I have a proposition you might be interested in." Kagura maintained eye contact with Sesshomaru, which only served to further irritate Sydney. She went to reply, when Sesshomaru beat her to it.

"A proposition?" He repeated, earning a shocked and indignant look from the demoness at his side.

"You can't be serious!" She exclaimed, and Kagura held out her hand, with two jewel shards resting in her palm.

"You know what these are, Sesshomaru. I'll give you these sacred jewel shards. In return, I want you to kill Naraku. Free me. Release me from his grasp." She stated, simply.

Sydney's mouth dropped open, and she stared at the shards in shock and awe.

 _What the hell is going on? I thought she was an accomplice of Naraku, not a prisoner?_

Sesshomaru didn't look to the shards; rather, he kept his gaze on Kagura, who stood her ground.

"You have the power to do it. Once you kill Naraku, all the sacred jewel shards he has gathered will be yours. Let's use those shards and provide ourselves with a little amusement."

"You intend to betray Naraku." Sesshomaru said, as more of a statement than a question. Kagura scoffed.

"It's not as though I have chosen to live under his command. What do you think of my plan? Joining forces would be a mutual benefit." Kagura pushed further, and Sydney's gaze softened.

 _So, she is his prisoner. His slave, even; poor thing._

"Unfortunately, I have no interest in the sacred jewel. If you wish to become free, use those shards yourself and destroy Naraku." Sesshomaru countered. Sydney looked at him in surprise.

"Sesshomaru, I-" A glare sent her way caused her to shut her mouth, and she looked at Kagura with pity.

Kagura, however, was not so resigned.

"Are you afraid of him?!" She shouted, and Sydney winced; this was not going well.

"I'm saying I'm under no obligation to assist you. If you don't have the resolve to go it alone, don't even think about betraying him."

Kagura's face tightened in anger at his response.

"Foolish coward! And you call yourself a man! I misjudged you… pathetic fool!" The wind sorceress drew her feather and leapt upon it, flying away.

"Kagura, wait!" Sydney went to stop her, but a strong grasp on her shoulder pulled her back, and she looked in to the obviously angry eyes of Sesshomaru.

"Your interference is not welcome."

"I don't give a damn! I came to thank you, to try and extend some sort of olive branch, and not only do I catch you in a nasty mood, but I watch you turn away someone in need! I fought her, Sesshomaru, and I have no urge to like her. But she's in a bad place, and if you can't tell that, you're denser than I thought. She needs help, and you wouldn't even consider it… It's sickening. Have some compassion, some empathy, for once in your life!" She shouted, pulling sharply away from him.

Sesshomaru looked at her sternly, silent, for some time, and she refused to back down, staring straight back.

"Why do you care for her?" He asked, and Sydney went to respond, before thinking about his question. She considered it for a moment, and looked away.

"Because I know how it feels to be under someone's thumb. You have no way out by yourself, so you do as you're told, at the risk of being hurt. And you lose yourself to your oppressor." She said softly, and closed her eyes in resignation.

"You just don't get it. Fine, whatever. Do what you want." Throwing her hands up in surrender, Sydney spun and headed back for camp.

Sesshomaru stood there for a moment, stunned at their exchange.

 _Wind Sorceress Kagura. I wonder if she can use the sacred jewel and defeat Naraku by herself… either way, it doesn't concern me. But what does concern me is why the girl was so affected by Kagura's request._

Sesshomaru took his time walking back to camp, in deep thought, and by the time he reached it, the fire was dying, and his party was quiet. A-Un and Jaken slept soundly, and Rin and Sydney slept at the base of a tree, with Rin curled under one of Sydney's arms. Sesshomaru looked closer, and saw Sydney grasping the hair-pin he'd left for her in her lap.

Sesshomaru moved to sit, but could see Sydney's troubled expression as she slept in the faint light of the dying fire. Her brows twitched, and she clutched Rin closer to her. Stepping closer, he dropped his _mokomoko_ onto the two, and it curled around them. Sydney seemed to still, and Sesshomaru sat down under his tree, watching as the fire turned to mere embers.

* * *

 **Thank you so much, everyone, for being patient and reading! I hope to update much more often now that I've gotten my life under control, and am so incredibly grateful that you've all stuck by me! Please review and let me know what you think!**

 **A note, Shinko means faith in Japanese!**


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